Like Gold in the Air of Summer
by Tozz
Summary: Sequel to Summer Skin. Claire is back for another summer in Mineral Town-this time struggling to define her own feelings for both Rick and Kai while helping Popuri find love with somebody new. Rated T for language and content.
1. Chapter 1

_Don't look back, don't think of the  
Other places you should've been  
It's a good thing that you came along with me_

_Gold in the air of summer  
You'll shine like gold in the air of summer_

Here it is, the sequel to Summer Skin! Meaning that if you haven't read the first one yet, you really have to before you read this one. ^^;

Ahh, gosh, I'm really happy to be starting this :D I'm not 100% satisfied with this first chapter, but I'm almost never happy with my beginnings. I've written beyond this chapter, though, and I think things get better when the story starts to pick up again. :) And a random side note--the title came from a Kings of Convenience song. It's a really mellow song, which I feel is misleading DX The story's going to be just as dramatic as before~

Oh yeah, and there's a poll about SS at my profile if anyone's interested :P I put it up for fun, just to get a gauge of what people think. Though unfortunately, I can't say it'll actually affect the storyline. XD;; sorry!

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and review if you can! I won't be able to update for another month as I will be on vacation. See you then :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_You are cordially invited to_

_the wedding of_

_Zack and Lillia…_

* * *

Same ferryboat, same dock, same beach. It was the same Mineral Town, and yet a year ago it had all seemed so different.

Popuri and Rick were there to on time to meet me this time. "Oh my gosh, Claire! We've got so much to talk about!" Popuri squealed the second I stepped off the boat. Rick immediately moved to take my bags and I smiled at him. He shook his head slightly at Popuri's zeal, obviously thinking she was a little over the top.

"It's good to see you again, too, Popuri," I answered, already overwhelmed by the force of her presence. We had become friends despite the difficulty of last summer, but that didn't stop her from seeming a little overpowering.

She started right in with her familiar chatter. "This summer is going to be great, with you here and my mom's wedding…" I just listened to her, letting her ramble on as we walked down the dock and across the beach.

The wedding had been one of the things I'd been worrying about. I got the invitation only a week before I was scheduled to leave and hadn't gotten the chance to discuss it with Popuri or Rick. Apparently Lillia had surprised them with it just a few days prior to mailing out the invitations. I had been unsure how they were going to take the news; I knew that their father was a touchy subject, and I could understand if they were less than enthusiastic about the prospect of their mother remarrying with the she'd been having an affair with in secret.

But if Popuri's excitement was any indication, she at least was taking it just fine.

"…and it'll be so fun to be bridesmaids with you!" she exclaimed happily as Chicken Lil's came into sight.

_Right, I'm going to be a bridesmaid, _I thought, not as happily. I was grateful that Lillia had wanted me to be part of the wedding, but standing in a frilly dress in front of a room full of people was not exactly my ideal way to spend time. But I knew Popuri would have my head if I had declined.

My mom had wanted me to accept, too, mostly because she was going to be there at the wedding. She said she wasn't going to stay the whole summer because she didn't want to "intrude," meaning that she at least knew how uncool it would be for me to have my mom there the entire time while I was hanging out with Popuri and Rick. But she was planning on taking the ferryboat over the day of the wedding and then leaving with me the next morning.

Also, she wanted me to be a bridesmaid so she could take pictures of me standing miserably in a frilly dress in front of a room full of people. Agh. Moms.

Our relationship had gotten a little bit better. It was less brittle now. There were certain topics that we didn't breach, and we still argued plenty, but the dark rain cloud that had been hovering over the two of us had finally dissipated. And I'd ditched my rebel friends and stopped sneaking out.

When we got inside, Rick went off upstairs to put my bags in Popuri's room. As he passed by, he let his arm brush against mine and I tried to hide my smile at the tiny happy jolt it gave me.

Lillia greeted me, and I let her hug me. She asked me how I was and I told her, and while we chatted I couldn't help but notice that she was different, in a good way. She'd started showing signs of becoming livelier towards the end of the previous summer, but now she was awash in a healthy, happy, pre-wedding glow. Her face was still pale, and her movements were still unsteady at times, but the chains of her illness seemed to have at least loosened a bit.

And I was happy for her. Though I'd at first been angry with her for cheating on her husband (my own experience with my father cheating was enough to make me perhaps overly sensitive to it) I respected that she had her reasons, and that she was clearly making the best decision for herself. From what Popuri and Rick told me, her husband Rod didn't have plans to come back from his search for a cure for Lillia's illness—rumor had it he might've settled down with someone else himself.

Not to mention even I couldn't deny Zack's kindness. I felt embarrassed just remembering how he'd taken me in when he'd found me alone on the beach in the rain last summer. He'd done it without complaint or judgment, even though he barely knew me. I was glad that Lillia had found someone so caring.

"Okay!" Popuri said, latching on to my arm as soon as my conversation with Lillia was over. "Let's go visit Karen!"

"Now?" I asked, already feeling the familiar irritation I'd always gotten with her, though it was a bit subtler now. I'd been hoping to spend at least three seconds alone with Rick, but apparently that was going to have to wait.

"Yes, why not?" she replied, as if she really couldn't think of any reason why I wouldn't be one hundred percent in favor of the plan.

Lillia chuckled at her daughter. "You could give her a moment to get settled, Popuri."

I shrugged, pushing my lingering annoyance away with a smile. "Oh, no, that's okay. Now's fine. But um…can we invite Rick?"

She rolled her eyes impatiently but smiled. "Okay, okay. But only because you asked."

I could feel myself blush a little and I elbowed her. "Thanks."

* * *

Popuri continued to fill me in on details of the wedding on our way to the supermarket. Or rather, the drama that was surrounding it. Rick piped in occasionally with his input, too.

The latest news was this: Sasha was chosen as the maid of honor, and apparently that sparked jealous among the other Mineral Town women, especially with Anna. She threw a big fuss about it even though she and Lillia weren't that close. Sasha visited Lillia at home weekly and the two were good friends, so it was only natural she'd be picked. Anna was allegedly very upset and was currently avoiding both Sasha and Lillia.

None of that actually mattered, of course, but it was the kind of petty gossip I was used to hearing from Popuri. And besides, it _was_ mildly entertaining

The story lasted all the way to the supermarket, and when she was finished, Rick held the door open for us and asked, "Has Popuri told you about the new farmer? I think his name is Jack…"

"New farmer? Jack?" I answered, feeling a little curious. "No, I haven't heard—"

There was two muffled stomping noises, followed by Rick and I both saying, "Ow," at the same time. Popuri had just purposefully and unapologetically stepped on our toes before prancing over to where Karen was standing.

"What was that about?" I asked, confused about what was happening. My toes, exposed to the power of Popuri's heel in my flip-flops, throbbed painfully.

"Oh, he's here," Rick replied, by way of explanation. I followed his gaze over to Popuri and Karen and realized another person was standing with them. It was a boy about our age, wearing dirtied overalls and a baseball cap on backwards. His hair was crayon brown and stuck out from underneath his hat, like it was trying to escape from being suffocated.

And I couldn't help but noticing the fact that he was good-looking in the husky, outdoorsy kind of way, with tanned arms and understated muscles hidden beneath the folds of his t-shirt.

But unfortunately for Jack, however, I had a fetish for elongated limbs and long scraggly hair and oversized glasses.

_Or maybe it's just because it's Rick,_ I corrected myself. And that was probably more accurate.

I was still a little puzzled as to why Popuri reacted so violently until I saw the way she was looking at him.

And more importantly, the way _he_ was looking at _her_.

It was like Karen, in her long-legged, shiny-haired, sparkling green-eyed beauty, was merely an unimpressive distraction, a side salad to the full course meal of the one and only Popuri.

Okay, so the metaphor was a little strange. But even me, a cynic when it came to romance and just about everything else, could tell that this boy was definitely deep, _deep_ in like with Popuri.

I gave Rick a look as he led me over to be introduced. He raised his eyebrows in reply, clearly just as aware of Jack's infatuation as I was.

"This is Claire, the one who's visiting us this summer!" Popuri said, immediately linking arms with me when I got to her side. I smiled, feeling a little silly to be just standing there.

"Hey," Jack said to me, momentarily looking away from Popuri to offer his hand. I used my free hand to shake his. "I'm Jack. Just moved here."

"Claire! You're here!" Karen cried, giving me a sideways hug. "It's so good to see you! Your tan has already faded, I see." She clucked her tongue in mock disapproval and I laughed.

"Well…I should probably be heading home," Jack said, raising the bag of seeds he was holding. "I only came by to get these."

"Aw, okay. But don't be a stranger," Karen told him, and he nodded as he headed for the door.

"Nice meeting you, Claire," he said, stopping with one hand on the doorknob. Even as he said it, I could tell he was focused on Popuri and seemed reluctant to go. "And um…I'll see you guys later, hopefully."

We let out a chorus of _bye_s as he left, and as soon as the door was shut, I said, "Who was that?"

"You heard him. He's Jack," Popuri responded airily, not looking at me, and I could tell by her voice that she was probably going to fill me in on the details later. Still, for the moment I wanted a little more.

"So…he's a farmer?"

Karen answered me this time. "Yeah, he just moved in on some land down the road from Chicken Lil's. He's a young guy, about eighteen or so. He's using his grandpa's inheritance to start his own farm."

"Wow," I said, impressed. I didn't think I'd have the guts to do anything like that.

"Yeah," Karen said, and we all got quiet for a moment, taking in Jack's ambitiousness.

Then Popuri asked, "Are your parents around, Karen?"

"Nope. Dad's at the clinic and Mom's off ordering something for the wedding, I think." Her mother, incidentally, was Sasha.

"Good," Popuri answered, sounding satisfied. "Because I have some juicy new stuff about the thing with the wedding and Anna."

* * *

Finally, finally, _finally_ Rick and I got a few moments to ourselves.

We'd spent most of the afternoon at the supermarket before Popuri dragged me around to a few other places. However, we didn't go to the beach, and we didn't run into Kai.

Then we went home and had dinner, and afterwards Rick announced, "I'm going to go put the chickens back in the coop now."

And then I announced, "I'm going to go help Rick put the chickens back in the coop now."

"Have fun," Lillia told us, seemingly oblivious to anything going on between us.

"You know, you don't actually have to help me now," he pointed out once we were outside, crossing the yard to the chickens. "It's not like it's part of a punishment anymore."

"Hmm, I guess you're right," I said, pretending to mull it over. "Well, I suppose I'll just sit back and watch you then."

So I sat on the fence and watched as he herded in the chickens. As he worked, he told me stories of what had happened in my absence. A couple I'd heard before—they were ones he'd told me when we'd spoken on the phone—but they still made me laugh. I liked just hearing him talk, and even more to _see_ him talk, to see his animated expressions and gestures in person. And he brought me up to date on the chickens, which wasn't exactly an enthralling topic of conversation, but it was nice. The chickens had grown on me more than I wanted to admit.

Once that branch of the discussion had run its course, he walked over to where I was sitting. I thought he was going to sit down, but instead he stood in front of me.

"But, anyway, I'm sure you're tired of hearing about the chickens."

"Nonsense! I could talk about them forever!" I joked, grinning at him.

"Well, we'll take a break from talking about them for now."

"Okay."

"…"

"…"

"I missed you," he said, with such seriousness it made my cynical unromantic heart flutter.

"I missed you, too."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Of course."

"Can I kiss you?" His question was abrupt but it was sweet and it was what I wanted.

"Yes," I said, and for a second we both hesitated, and in the moment before he leaned forward, my brain decided to remind me of the one thing I'd been trying to _not_ remember all day.

In that moment, I remembered the last person who'd kissed me, and what he'd said.

Just because I know when to admit defeat, and how to bow out gracefully—doesn't mean I want to. Or that I will.

That was what Kai had said right before he'd kissed me on the cheek when I was about to get on the boat to go home last summer. I could see it in my head, playing like a film clip on repeat.

I looked down quickly, reflexively, and Rick's chin knocked against my forehead.

Ouch.

Wow.

That was embarrassing.

When I slowly lifted my head and saw his bewildered expression, I figured I owed him an explanation.

"Uh—um—sorry," I spluttered, not explaining myself very well. "It's just that—I guess—I guess I wasn't ready. I—I was surprised."

"That's okay," he said, looking as mortified as I felt. I could see the questions on his face: Why weren't you ready? How were you surprised? Didn't you just say yes?

But of course, I couldn't tell him it was because I was thinking of Kai kissing me while he was trying to kiss me.

I wanted to pummel myself into the ground. I would have, in fact, if only it was physically possible. How could I be that stupid? I was twisted, thinking about _that_ when I was doing _this_, the thing I'd been waiting the past year for.

"Um, you can go back inside," I told him, my face burning with shame. "I'm gonna stay out here for a little longer. You know, thinking about those chickens." A shaky laugh escaped me, but he only managed a pained smile.

"Alright. See you later." He hopped over the fence and headed back inside. As soon as I heard the door shut, I buried my face in my hands and let out the aggravated, embarrassed, self-loathing groan I'd been holding in.

It was going to be a long summer.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

I kind of love and hate this chapter...I mean, I like that things are slowly starting to happen but I'm more excited about future things XD Chapter three, which is already written, is my favorite so far, I think :3 I can't wait~ But one thing I really like about this chapter is Jack. I tried to portray him differently then most fics do, so hopefully that'll be interesting for you guys ^___^

Also, sorry for my absence! The next long break won't be til school in August (sigh). But thanks for taking part in the poll while I was away. When I left, Rick and Kai were tied, but as I predicted, Kai is now dominating ;) And he hadn't even shown up yet! But he's here in this chapter, so enjoy. :D And if there's any Rick fans out there, go help him out in the poll! Haha XD

I appreciate all feedback :) Reviews are what keep me going sometimes. If you have time, I'd really like to hear from you.

Next update will be the Friday after next 'cause I want to work on my other fics. :P

* * *

**Chapter 2**

I woke up with a yawn, not feeling entirely rested, but I forced myself awake anyway. I'd stayed up late trying to get answers about Jack out of Popuri, but she'd stayed uncharacteristically tight-lipped, giving me only the bare bones facts: He was a farmer. He was quiet, probably because he was shy, and wasn't seen around town very often. He'd come in the spring. So far he hadn't gone to any of the festivals.

She told me all of this matter-of-factly, like she was holding back, and I wondered if it was because she was interested in him. Or knew he was interested in her. Nevertheless, she remained unusually silent on the subject.

I'd also managed to ask the question that'd been on my mind all day, though I hated to admit it, and had tried to hold myself back from doing it for as long as I could.

"Is Kai in town yet?" I asked innocently, studying my fingers in a way that I hoped looked to be innocuous.

Something changed on her face, and I couldn't tell if she was upset. "He comes back tomorrow."

So that was why I hadn't seen him while she was taking me all over town. I was dying to ask more—to find out if she still liked him, if she still wanted to hang out with him, if she still had any resentment towards either of us for what we'd done to her.

But I didn't, because I wanted to avoid stirring up any bad feelings. The most important thing was that I was friends with her again, and that Kai didn't matter anymore because I had Rick.

I cringed in my sleeping bag. _Well, maybe I don't have him anymore after what happened yesterday…_ I shut my eyes until the waves of remembered embarrassment subsided, and then I crawled out of my sleeping back as silently as I could. Popuri was still asleep and I knew I wouldn't wake her as I slipped into my flip-flops and padded out into the hallway.

No one else was awake in the house yet, which was something I was at that moment grateful for. Usually I wouldn't have minded bumping into Rick in the mornings like I'd sometimes done before, but I felt relieved he wasn't in the kitchen this time for two reasons: one, I knew I couldn't take the mortification triggered just by the thought of him, and two, I didn't want anyone to see me leave the house, because I was on my way to see Kai.

I couldn't believe I was actually doing it, but I couldn't stop myself either. Popuri said he was arriving that day. I knew that there was the likelihood he wouldn't even be in Mineral Town yet, but I still had to check. It was probably the only chance, especially since it seemed like Popuri certainly wasn't going to be taking me.

When I got to the Seaside Lodge, I didn't see anyone behind the counter, and I felt a disproportionate amount of disappointment. I still walked over to the shack anyway, and my pulse quickened with anticipation when I heard a shuffling noise. Moments later, Kai's upper body appeared; he'd been kneeling down behind the counter.

"Claire," he said, looking surprised to see me. He was dressed in his usual summery garb and seemed slightly out of breath, like he'd just finished doing some heavy lifting.

"What's up?" I answered casually, pretending like it was perfectly normal for me to show up at his place at the crack of dawn after no contact with him for a whole year.

Well—that wasn't entirely accurate. He'd sent me one postcard a month or two after I'd left, one of the cheesy kinds with a picture of the beach. _Wish you were here,_ he'd written, with a little winking smiley face. Though I would never admit it, especially to him, that postcard had occupied my mind for quite a while. What did he mean, exactly? Was he just teasing me? Or could he actually be serious? The smiley face seemed to indicate the former, but I'd never known for sure. And how had he gotten my address? Perhaps he'd contacted Lillia for it. I'd finally pushed it out of my mind by deciding it was merely another one of his games and didn't answer it.

Anyway, I knew he would be surprised, but I pretended everything was normal. After all, we'd agreed to be friends, hadn't we? And friends visited each other, didn't they? Of course they did.

"I'm just opening some boxes of shipments and organizing everything…I had Zack deliver my inventory so it'd be ready when I got here." He wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead and then said, "You never wrote back."

I knew immediately he was referring to his postcard.

I studied his face carefully, but it was indecipherable and I couldn't tell if he was actually upset or not.

So I replied, as glibly as I could, "I was busy."

"Oh, ouch," he moaned, gripping the spot over his heart. "Is that how you treat the guy who's in love with you?"

I stared at him wordlessly, waiting for the punch line. Or maybe that was the punch line.

"What, are you surprised? Didn't I tell you I wasn't going to bow out gracefully?"

He remembered.

My mouth unhinged.

I was consumed by the dizzying thought of _he's in love with me oh crap he's in love with me oh crap—_

Then he laughed, mischievous delight filling his features. "Jeez, Claire. You can pick your jaw up off the ground now. I was just kidding."

If it was possible, my jaw only dropped further. The shock drained away, replaced by tongue-tied fury. "You—! But—!"

"But what?" He cut me off, grinning. "You seem disappointed."

"I—I'm not _disappointed,_ you jerk! I'm _mad_! I mean…you _did_ say you weren't giving up! And then you kissed me! And…and that postcard! And now with you saying—!" The words spilled out of me, frustration unstopping my inhibitions. "How did you _think_ I was going to react?!"

"Uh-huh. You're as uptight as always, Claire. I thought you knew I was joking with all of that stuff, but…" He shook his head and sighed before continuing. "I suppose I was too convincing." He said it smugly, like even he was impressed by his own brilliant acting skills.

I rolled my eyes, but for some reason I was laughing a little, too. "So you weren't serious," I said, in a disbelieving tone.

He responded just one beat too slowly, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. "…Of course I wasn't. Did I let you down? Like I said, you seem disappointed."

"Well, I'm not."

"Okay."

"I'm _not_," I repeated, more firmly this time.

"Okay," he said again, shrugging, but I saw he was concealing a smile.

"Ugh," I grumbled, trying to stay mad, but I couldn't. I gave in and snorted a laugh. "You're such a jerk."

"That's me. Watch out—if you're not careful, I might steal the flip-flops back again."

"I'd like to see you try," I challenged, leaning against the counter.

"I might," he said warningly, shaking his finger. "How else am I supposed to get you to come visit me again?"

"Yeah, about that…"

"What?" He looked concerned, as if he were worried I was going to say I wasn't going to visit him ever again or something.

"Well, I…I figure with Rick and everything, it'd be best if…if we didn't do that anymore. At night, at least. I mean, I don't mind being friends with you during the day. _If_ you can behave yourself." I smiled, trying to sound upbeat about it.

"Ohhh, I see how it is. Your boyfriend might get jealous." I bit my lip when I heard him say the word "boyfriend" but didn't correct him, though it didn't seem to be the right word to describe Rick in relation to me. "Hmm, not much we can do about that. I'll do what I can to be on my best behavior, then. And we'll stop the nightly visits."

I blinked, not really believing what I was hearing. "Seriously?" _It was that easy?_

"Seriously," he affirmed.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I still didn't believe what he was saying was true. Last summer, when he'd told me he wasn't going to "bow out gracefully"…well, he'd said it in typical Kai fashion, but there seemed to be something more behind it. More to that peck on the cheek. And now he was telling me that none of it meant anything, and he was going to leave me alone. It was a little disorienting.

But I should be happy, right? I want Kai to give up on me.

"…Thanks," I finally answered, but I didn't feel like I meant it.

* * *

Kai and I talked for a few more minutes, but it felt awkward. Or maybe it was just me. Despite that, however, and despite how irritating he could be, I really was glad to see him again. We'd spent a lot of time together the previous summer, just talking, and it was good to know I'd still have him as a friend.

I said goodbye and then headed back to Chicken Lil's, hoping to make it back before anyone woke up. As home came into view, I saw a person standing nearby, leaning against the fence and looking up at the building. I sped up a little, and when I got closer, I realized it was Jack.

"Good morning," I called out, slowing down once I was close enough for him to hear me.

He jumped and his head snapped over towards me in surprise. He smiled once he recognized me and I smiled back. "Hey," he replied, a bit shyly, sounding relieved. "Claire, right?"

"Yeah." I came to a stop a few feet away. "Er…is there anything I can help you with, Jack?"

"Well…" He trailed off, his face turning a bit pink. "Actually, I was looking for Popuri. I, um—I hadn't quite gotten to knocking on the door yet, though."

"Oh," I said, smiling wider. This guy seemed so sweet and innocent. "I don't think she's awake yet, sorry…"

"Oh, that's okay. I figured as much." He seemed to cringe inwardly a little. "Um…I'm kind of surprised to see that you're up, actually—I mean, I wake up early for the farm work, but I'm not used to seeing anyone else…"

"Yeah, I—I had somewhere to go. And I'm an early riser to begin with, I think. But uh, would you like me to check on her for you? I'm sure she'd like to see you."

"Th-that's okay!" he blurted, stammering a bit before clearing his throat. "I mean. You don't have to. I think I'll be going now, anyway."

"Okay…well, I'll at least tell her you stopped by."

"All right. Thanks."

He waved and started to walk away, but then I called out to him. "Wait. Jack." He stopped and turned back around.

"Hm?"

"Listen…" I broke off, glancing around to make sure we were alone before I went on. "…You like Popuri, right?"

His face flamed bright red now. "N-n-n-no, of course n-not! I don't kn-know what you're t-talking about."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake," I said, pretending to look convinced by his less-than-persuasive declaration. "Well, I was going to tell you something about the festival that's in a few days, but I guess if you don't…"

"No, wait! Tell me! I-I mean, I _don't_, but I—I'm curious."

I tried to stifle my grin. "Oh, okay. It's just a swimming festival, but I know Popuri's going to be there. And you know, so will the rest of the town. But anyway, I was just thinking that you should go, too."

"Why?" Jack's question came instantly, like he'd forgotten he wasn't supposed to be so eager. He was child-like in an endearing way, and it was hard to remember he was actually a year older than me.

"Well, there's gonna be this big race that all the men in town compete in, and I was just thinking how impressed Popuri would be with whoever won. For instance…hypothetically speaking…if oh, I don't know…say that _you_ won, I bet she'd pay even more attention to you. In theory, of course."

His face lit up for a moment, and then he finally seemed to remember that he was trying to be more nonchalant. "Well, that's…something to think about, I guess. Now that you mention it, maybe I will go. You know, for the spirit of competition. Not because I have to win for Popuri or anything."

"Of course," I agreed, nodding.

He looked satisfied with this reasoning and then gave another wave. "Well, I've got to get going. Thanks for letting me know about it, Claire."

"No problem," I answered, waving back. I felt satisfied, too. I'd never played matchmaker before, and it was actually kind of fun.

* * *

Too bad I couldn't be as successful in my own love life. "My own love life"—also know as the complete crashing, burning, horrendous failure so bad that even if you squinted really hard and tilted your head to the side, you still couldn't recognize it as resembling anything anywhere near romance.

Okay, so maybe it hadn't gotten that bad. At least Rick was still talking to me. But it was the friendly, joking, hey-aren't-we-good-buddies kind of thing. Which was fine, except that I wanted more…well, _physical_ contact. It was as if Rick thought I needed space or something, and taken our relationship two steps back—back to the way things had been before I'd ever kissed him.

Not that I could blame him for getting that impression. After all, I'd ducked my head when _he_ tried to kiss _me_. But as much as I would've liked to be able to sit down and talk to him, Chicken Lil's had become a flurry of activity with the wedding. Rick would usually slip out of the house to get out of the way without me even noticing. I was secretly a little disappointed and even a bit bothered by the fact that he never invited me along with him. I could've used the escape from the chaos myself. Plus, I _did_ want to spend more time with him.

We still had the time when we took care of the chickens, though I usually let Rick do most of the talking. And there were times when even his attempt at polite friendliness failed, and we fell victim to suffocating awkward silences broken up by the squawking of the poultry.

Finally, I decided I'd had enough. We finished up with the chickens one evening and headed back inside. I walked a little behind him, and before we got to the door I reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. Not too hard; just enough to get his attention so he'd stop.

"Rick…can I talk to you for a second?" I let my hand drop once he turned to face me.

"Um, sure," he replied, shifting so that he was standing a respectful distance away. He shoved his hands deep inside his pockets. "What is it?"

"Well…um, I just…I know you're avoiding me." He opened his mouth to protest, but I continued on before he could speak. "Or maybe not avoiding me exactly, but…I mean, you're not being…well…anyway, it's my fault and I'm sorry. For suddenly turning you down when you tried to—to kiss me. I didn't mean to give you mixed signals or whatever. I guess…I sort of just freaked out for a second, not because of you, but just—" I stopped, unsure of how to finish. I didn't really feel like I was off to a great start. "Just, because I'm stupid. And now I kind of miss you. A lot. Like, I want to be able to do more than just hang out with you…"

My face was burning by the end of my speech. It felt like the air surrounding us had raised a good five degrees just by the sheer intensity of the heat emanating off my face. What I'd said felt very un-Claire like and embarrassing—it felt wrong to put myself out there like that, and so incoherently. I waited with bated breath for his reaction.

And what was that reaction? It was to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, my voice going high with humiliation. I wanted desperately to scoop up the words I'd just spewed and shove them back into my mouth. So much for putting myself out there.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, his speech slightly muffled by the hand he cupped over his mouth. "I'm just…I'm relieved, I guess."

"Relieved?" I hadn't quite been expecting him to say that.

"Yeah. I thought that…oh, I don't know. That maybe you hated me or something."

"N-no, I wouldn't ever hate you," I said quickly, trying not to be aware of my own mushiness. "Why would I hate you?"

He shrugged, laughing a little again. "I don't know. I guess it's really hard for me to believe that you could possibly feel the same way as me…"

"Well, I do," I answered, smiling back in reassurance. I felt relieved myself. "I mean, I think I do. How _do_ you feel, exactly?" I felt silly for asking, but I wanted to hear _him_ say it out loud, in his own words.

"Hmm…let's see. I can't stop thinking about you. I want to spend all my time with you. And ever since that time—well, I wish I could touch you again, even if it's just for a second." I could tell he was trying really hard to keep his voice relaxed, but his face was bright red. We matched.

I reached for his hand at the same time he reached for mine. He brought my hand up with his so that our palms were pressed flat against each other and our fingers were splayed out. I looked at those fingers that were so much longer than my own, and then finally, he kissed me and I closed my eyes and I forgot about our hands.

I forgot we were standing just a foot away from the doorstep, and that Popuri or even Lillia could open the door and find us.

And, happily, I did not have even a fleeting remembrance of Kai or when he kissed me or anything he'd said to me, today or before.

Right, I was too full of thoughts of the boy right in front of me.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Finally, here it is--chapter 3 :D I like this chapter the best so far, although the next chapter isn't so bad. :D

By the way, thanks for all the votes in the poll! It turned out pretty much how I thought it would, haha, but I did see a lot of people go support Rick when I mentioned it, so thanks for that! lol. Of course, now you have to wait and see how it ACTUALLY turns out ;)

Um, I'd like to talk about this chapter like I normally do, but I'm really exhausted DX I haven't been sleeping well lately. So I hope there aren't too many mistakes, and that you enjoy it, and that you review if you can! Thanks so much guys :D

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Things with Rick improved after we'd talked—and kissed—but there was still something still anxiety-inducing about being alone with him. I guess it was because I still wasn't sure what we were. Probably boyfriend and girlfriend, I reasoned, but we hadn't even been out on a real date. And were we exclusive? Admittedly, there were few other dating prospects in Mineral Town for either of us (Rick had Karen but I tried not to be insecure about their friendship, and I of course had no one else) but still.

We joked and we kissed and we fed the chickens and we kissed some more. It was fun, but the uncertainty of what it _meant_ was killing me.

However, I definitely didn't want to sound like one of those needy, whiny girlfriends—well, _probably_ girlfriend, in this case—so I held back from asking him about it. I figured I should be grateful I could be kissing him at all, with how I'd messed up before.

With all my worry over Rick, the swimming festival snuck up on me. Fortunately, I'd come prepared and brought my own swimsuit this year, so I didn't have to borrow one from Popuri.

I found myself actually looking forward to the festival during the few times I did think about it. The last time I'd attended it seemed stupid, but this time I was hoping I'd be able to see Jack win the race and, in turn, Popuri. And, just a tiny little bit, I was looking forward to seeing Kai.

I'd actually hung out with him a couple more times since I'd spoken with him on his first day back, though never with Popuri. She always gave some excuse for why she couldn't go, but I knew the real reason why and didn't push her.

I'd been worried about how Rick would react. But when I told him I was friends with Kai he got kind of quiet and sulky and then said that I could be friends with whoever I wanted, and all he cared about was being with me.

So in the end, it kind of felt like the only person who really had a problem with the whole thing was me. But I couldn't help it. It seemed like one of those too-good-to-be-true deals. For once, Kai was treating me like a normal person. Sure, he still found many ways to tease me, but it truly seemed harmless now.

We were friends, for real this time. And it was weird to me.

I still wasn't even sure if I liked it or not. Which, in a way, seemed even weirder.

But I tried not to let it bother me. And I had plenty of distractions to help with that endeavor—Popuri was always dragging me off to socialize, and Rick and I used every extra second we had to be together, even if it was just a quick chat in the morning or a kiss when no one else was looking.

Lillia still didn't know about the two of us, as far as I knew. She was too caught up in her wedding plans. And I was okay with that; I figured it'd just get awkward to involve her. We'd tell her someday soon, maybe once she was back from her honeymoon or something.

Rick and I walked hand in hand to the swimming festival. Popuri walked on my right. She and I laughed and talked the whole way to the beach. Rick stayed mostly quiet, letting us chat and occasionally giving my fingers a squeeze when he thought something was funny.

It made it hard to remember why I'd been so bitter about the last swimming festival.

When we got to the beach, Rick went off to join the other boys while Popuri and I went to find a good spot to watch.

"Hey, Jack's over there," I whispered to Popuri once we'd set up camp. We sat side-by-side on our blanket. Jack was several yards away chatting with Rick and Cliff. "You should go say hi."

"Me?" she asked, but I could tell she was blushing. "Why should I?"

I elbowed her and gave her a meaningful look. "I think he likes you. And I think you should give him a chance."

She shook her head but didn't say anything. She chewed her lip, and then finally said, "I _should_ go say hi, shouldn't I?"

I smiled at her and patted her arm encouragingly. She flushed with nervous excitement and grinned. "Okay. I'll be right back."

I watched her go, and moments later someone occupied the spot she'd just vacated. It was Kai.

"Hey," he greeted, bumping my shoulder with his. I saw he was wearing the same swimsuit as last year, which reminded me of the thoughts I'd previously had about his physique. I was blushing like an idiot within seconds just remembering it.

_Friends friends friends_, I told myself, though I realized I shouldn't be the one who needed a warning.

"H-hi," I replied, pushing any stray memories out of my mind. "Um. Good luck in the race today."

"Hmm, shouldn't you be telling your boyfriend that, not me?" he asked, and when I scowled at him he chuckled. "Oh, just kidding. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I answered, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, have you met Jack yet? He's pretty nice."

"Who?" Kai asked, frowning in confusion, and I pointed to where he was standing. Popuri was now at his side, and Rick and Cliff had drifted off somewhere else. "Oh, _him_. Who is that anyway?" I was surprised by the trace of sourness in his voice.

"You haven't heard? He's the new farmer that just moved in near Chicken Lil's. He's a nice guy—kinda shy, though."

"Oh, I know who he is, all right," Kai grumbled. "I guess it's more of a question of who does he _think_ he is…"

I raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. So far, I hadn't met anyone who had anything bad to say about Jack. "Are you being serious right now? I mean, why don't you like him?"

"I dunno, he just sort of pisses me off," he answered vaguely, rubbing the back of his neck.

I stared at him, and then a tiny smile poked at the corners of my mouth. "Hm. I see. Could it possibly be because he's the one who's got Popuri's attention now instead of you?"

Kai scoffed, but it wasn't entirely convincing. "That's ridiculous. I…I don't think of her that way."

"Reaaalllyy," I drawled, my grin growing. I wasn't totally sure of my speculation, but it was a little fun to push his buttons. "That's interesting, seeing as how you were all over her last summer. And I seem to remember her mentioning how you asked her to the fireworks the summer before that."

"Haha," he said, shaking his head at me. "You're funny. But that's not it."

"Sure," I replied, smiling wider and wiggling my eyebrows at him.

"You know, Claire, your little theory is interesting and all, but maybe I should share _my_ own theory with you." He was the one smiling now, and suddenly I felt a little nervous, like the tables had been turned.

"What is it?" I asked, keeping my voice calm. "I'd love to know."

"I think you _want_ me to be jealous of Popuri and Jack so that I'll go after Popuri," he said confidently, crossing his arms.

I squinted my eyes at him, shaking my head. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would I want that?" I sounded pretty certain of myself, but the nervous feeling hadn't completely gone away, and I wasn't really sure why it was there in the first place.

"Because you want to make sure that I'm not interested in you so you won't be tempted to dump Rick for me."

For a second, a cold feeling of dread washed over me in the heat of the sun. My mouth felt as dry as the sand stuck between my toes.

I could see this wasn't the Turned-Over-A-New-Leaf Kai. This was the Mysterious/Annoying/Confusing Kai of the summer before.

"S-stupid," I stuttered angrily, though now I was the one with the unconvincing tone. "That's stupid. How could you even come up with that?"

He smirked and punched my arm lightly. "Relax, Claire. It was just a joke. I didn't mean to upset you so much."

I rubbed the spot where his fist had connected with arm, though it didn't hurt.

It was déjà vu, hearing him say that. I knew it was just like after I'd freaked out when he'd joked about being love with me his first day back. His jokes were a bit tiring, to say the least.

I felt myself roll my eyes and laugh, though I wasn't even focused on talking to him anymore.

All I could think of was…

_Is it true?_

* * *

_No. It can't be._

Kai's words haunted me for the rest of the afternoon. I tried to cheer with Popuri once the race began, but my shouts came out half-hearted. I couldn't help but thinking there might be just a little bit of merit to what Kai was saying.

I mean, Popuri seemed to be trying so hard to get over Kai. And besides, I was playing matchmaker for her and Jack, not her and Kai.

_Of course,_ I assured myself, _that's the point. It can't be that you want Kai to go after Popuri, because you're setting her and Jack up. Kai just has a stupid way of making you believe everything he says._

And after all, Kai _had _said he was joking.

I felt better coming to this conclusion, but only marginally. The uneasiness didn't fade so quickly.

However, the outcome of the race helped raise my mood further. Jack was triumphant, crossing the finish line long before even Kai, who had always been the top contender. I watched Popuri hurry over to Jack with a towel and smiled, feeling pleased. Then I went to console Rick, who'd gotten fourth place behind Gray.

I walked over to the bench he was sitting on and joined him. He looked up when I came over but didn't say anything. I could tell he was disappointed.

"You did great out there," I told him, leaning into him slightly. The skin on his arms was still cold from the water, and it felt nice against my own warm flesh.

"But I got fourth place," he pointed out glumly, like I hadn't already known.

"You're the best fourth place person I've ever seen."

"That doesn't help. Or make sense."

"Sure it does," I insisted. "I mean it." Then I tried to gently tease him. "Besides, at least you didn't hurt yourself like you did last year. At least you got to compete."

He sighed again, and after a few seconds of silence, I carefully laid my head on his shoulder. I had never done it before, but I liked the feeling.

I suddenly was overly aware of my bare left leg brushing up ever so slightly against his right. His swimsuit was in the way, but it still felt like a current of energy humming between us at the spot.

I wondered if he felt it too.

And then I wondered when had I become so _girly _about everything—and furthermore, when I had started to enjoy being that way.

* * *

I was still troubled by Kai's words, but I tried to put my worries on the backburner. After all, I had more pressing matters to attend to—specifically, if Jack had finally captured to Popuri's heart.

I cornered her once we'd both finished getting ready for bed.

"Good night!" she said, drawing the covers up to her chin and reaching for the lamp at her bedside.

"Not so fast," I answered, and she stopped, her fingers still on the switch, though she hadn't clicked it off yet.

"What is it?" she asked, though it almost seemed like she knew what was coming next.

"I wanted to know how things went with Jack," I replied casually, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Oh," she said, but it came out as more of a squeak. She immediately pulled her hand back from the lamp and darted underneath her blanket.

"What are you doing?" I asked, almost wanting to get up from my spot on the floor and tear the covers off of her.

"It's too embarrassing," she said, though I could barely hear her through the fabric. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

I heard her let out a defeated sigh and she rose up again, her pink curls mussed and hanging in front of her face. She was red. "I kissed Jack."

"Really?" I cried in surprise, and then remembered Lillia was probably trying to sleep. Though the damage was already done, I switched to a whisper. "I mean, really?"

"Do you think I would make this up?" I'd never seen her so flustered, but I could tell that underneath her embarrassment she was thrilled.

"I guess not, but…gosh! Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"What's there to tell?" she asked coyly, covering her face again.

"Don't give me that," I complained, throwing my pillow at her bed. "I've been trying to get you two together, the least you could do is tell me how it happened."

Her face reappeared. "Wait. 'Trying to get us together'?"

I waved my hand dismissively and then got up to retrieve my pillow. "Forget about that. Just tell me about the kiss."

She sighed, still smilingly hugely. "All right. Fine. I'll tell you."

She picked up with the last thing I'd seen, when she'd given Jack a towel once he'd won the race. Rick and I had gone home shortly after that, leaving Popuri at the beach (seeing as how she obviously wasn't ready to leave yet).

Apparently Jack was being his regular adorable self when he suddenly asked her to lunch at the inn.

My jaw dropped when I heard this. I hadn't pegged Jack as being bold enough to actually ask Popuri to go somewhere with him. "When are you going?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" I echoed in amazement, though I remembered to whisper this time.

"Calm down. It's not like it's a date or anything…"

"Oh, come on, yes it is," I said, nodding my head. "I already told you, he _likes_ you. It's obvious—"

"Anyway," she interrupted, shaking her head, "do you want to hear about the kiss or not?"

"I do." I sat up straighter, crossing my legs and settling in on the floor.

"All right." She patted her hair, rearranging some of the disheveled bits. "Well. We were talking, and I asked him, 'So how did you get so good at swimming?' and he said, 'Do you want the truth?' and I said, 'Of course,' so he said, 'I've been practicing so that I could impress you,' and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, you're so sweet!' and he looked all embarrassed about it and said, 'Thanks.' And then I said, 'Mind if I give you a reward?' and he asked, 'What would that be?' and then I kissed him. Once. On the cheek."

I flopped down onto my sleeping bag once she was finished and smiled up at her. "Well, aren't you two going to be a cute couple now."

"We're not a couple," she insisted, still blushing, but I could tell I made her happy.

I yawned and stretched my arms out above me. "Yeah, yeah. Listen, we'll talk more in the morning, okay? I'm really tired."

"Okay." I heard her shift a little in her bed, and then the _click_ as the lamp was finally shut off. We were both quiet for a few seconds, and then Popuri said, "Claire?"

I was still awake. "Yeah?"

"Thanks. For trying to get me and Jack together."

"You're welcome."

"Good night."

"Good night," I replied, a tiny smile lingering on my face as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, here's the next update :D Unfortunately, this will be the last promised update for now. I know I had a schedule going where I was updating every other Friday, but school starts this Monday so my free time has come to an end. I'll do everything I can to make sure things don't get too slow, but I don't want to stress out over this fic. Hopefully everyone understands :) I'm really grateful for all the support I've gotten for both Summer Skin and Like Gold. I never would've gotten this far without my lovely readers and reviewers and favers and alerters. :3

I'm actually kind of happy about the break though, because the next chapter is a bit intense (at least, that's what I'm planning on XD;) and I want to take my time to get things right.

Thank you everybody for the great summer ^_^ Please enjoy this latest chapter~

* * *

**Chapter 4**

I wasn't sure why, but after my conversation with Popuri I had the irrepressible urge to tell Kai about her and Jack, just because I hoped it would annoy him.

_It's payback,_ I pointed out to myself. _For all the times _he_ ever went out of his way to annoy _you.

I went straight to the Seaside Lodge after I was done with chores with Rick. I only felt a little bad for running off right away; I knew he had plans with Karen that day, anyway.

"There you are, bright and early as usual," Kai said by way of greeting as I walked up to him.

I flashed him a grin. "That's me. I just got done working with the chickens." I was careful not to tack on Rick's name, because even though Kai had been good about it I didn't want to cause any more trouble between the two boys.

"I can tell," he answered, and then leaned across the counter towards my face.

_Oh my gosh it totally looks like he's about to kiss me—_

I had no time to think. I just panicked internally but didn't pull away.

However, the moment was over in a split-second when he moved back, pinching a fluffy white feather between his thumb and index finger. He'd plucked it out of my hair.

"See?" he said, showing it to me before releasing it with a gentle puff of air. I looked over my shoulder, watching it float away until I lost track of it.

Meanwhile, my heart was still careening in my chest from my misunderstanding of just a few moments ago.

"Oh," I murmured, lifting a hand and lightly touching my hair. "I hadn't noticed…"

He raised an eyebrow, half-smiling at me curiously. "Claire? Are you okay?"

I let my hand fall back to my side. "Y-yeah…I'm fine." I recovered quickly, putting on another smile. "Anyways, Popuri and Jack seemed pretty chummy at the swimming festival yesterday, huh?"

His smile faded and he rolled his eyes. "Not this again…"

"Oh, come on. He even asked her out on a date. You're telling me you're not even the least bit jealous?"

Kai suddenly grew very serious, directing a stern look at her. "And what good what that do, Claire, if I said I was? Would it make you happy?"

I stared back, swallowing while I digested his question. I felt like a child being scolded.

He had a point. And what was _my_ point? My face flushed with embarrassed anger.

"Whatever," I grumbled, rolling my eyes up skyward. "I was only kidding around. Isn't that what you always say?"

He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Suddenly I started.

"Oh, crap! What time is it? I'm supposed to be back at Chicken Lil's for a fitting."

"Fitting?" Kai asked, his brow wrinkling in puzzlement.

"The bridesmaids' dresses," I explained. "For Lillia's wedding. Sasha's coming over today so Popuri and I can get measured or whatever."

He smirked, fully aware of my hatred for all things with frills and lace. "Sounds fun. I can't wait to see you dressed up at the actual wedding."

I scowled at him and knocked him on the shoulder. "Gee, thanks. Anyway, see you later, I guess." I turned to go.

"See you later."

* * *

Dress fitting, I found out, basically meant standing still while someone poked and prodded you and moved your arms in a stiff pose when they were in the way. It was boring, and sometimes a little painful, but after an hour or maybe a little more, Sasha finally announced she had what she needed and left. She would be back in a week or so with the actual dresses.

"I'm so happy we're going to bridesmaids together," Popuri said for the millionth time. "You're going to look so amazing in your dress."

"Ugh," I grunted, rubbing my eues. I already felt weary, and the wedding was still a few weeks off. "I hate dresses. I never look good in them."

"Oh, hush," she clucked, shaking her head. Rick had returned from wherever he'd gone off to—probably Karen's—and Popuri turned to consult with him on the issue . "Rick, you tell her. Tell Claire she's going to look good in her dress."

"Um, you're going to look good in your dress?" He seemed a little bewildered at suddenly being pulled into the conversation at a delicate moment.

I smirked at him. "How convincing. Thanks, sweetie."

"No problem, dear," he said, returning my grin before trudging up the stairs. I wondered if he was going to go change. It was scorching outside like usual, and he'd looked a little sweaty in those clothes…

"See?" Popuri said, bringing me back. "Told you so."

"Rick has to say that. And so do you." I plopped down on the couch. "But thanks anyway."

"You're welcome." She joined me on the couch, settling in comfortably beside me as I turned on the television set. It was time for her favorite soap opera, Fairy and Me.

As Popuri stared at the TV, captivated by the melodramatic drama unfolding on the screen, my mind wandered elsewhere. I thought about the dress I would have to wear.

I thought about how I wasn't dreading it quite so much anymore. I thought about how I was actually a little excited to wear it, because I wanted Rick to see me, if I was going to look as Popuri claimed.

And, stupidly, I kind of wanted Kai to see me in it, too. Even if he would just make fun of me.

* * *

I was lounging on the couch, reading a book. My feet were resting halfway in Rick's lap, who was sitting on the other end of the couch watching a documentary or something. For a rare moment, we were home alone; Popuri had just left to go hang out with Karen and Ann (I was invited, but opted to stay home) and Lillia was out with Zack. However, Lillia was due back any minute, which was why we were engaging in wholesome, decent activities like reading books and watching television, instead of what we would've preferred to be doing (as in something indecent and unwholesome like making out).

But that wasn't to say we didn't interact. Rick kept flicking my toes every so often, and I'd playfully kick his legs to get him to stop. At one point he started tickling the bottoms my feet, making me squirm, and finally I sat up and raised my book threateningly, as if to hit him with it. But before either of us could make another move, there was a knock on the door. We froze.

After a few seconds passed, however, it was clear whoever was there wasn't opening it. "I wonder if Mom forgot her key," Rick whispered, and I shrugged and got up, tossing my book onto the cushions.

"I'll get it." I walked over to the door and opened it. Rick watched me from the couch.

"Jack," I said in surprise, my eyebrows shooting up. For a second, I almost didn't recognize him, because today he'd decided to go without his hat. As if self-conscious of this fact, he ran a hand over the top of his head, leaving a trail of unruly spikes in its wake.

"Hey, Claire." He smiled shyly and didn't say anything else.

"H…hey. Um…" I trailed off, glancing over at Rick. "If you're looking for Popuri, you just missed her. Sorry."

"Oh, no, actually, I was hoping to talk to you."

I looked over at Rick again, who could hear the conversation and now gave me a questioning look. I wondered if he was jealous and tried to keep my face blank.

Jack seemed to notice my hesitation. "Is that okay? I can come back another time, if you like…"

"No, no," I assured him, quickly returning his gaze. "Now's fine." I stepped outside without looking at Rick again and shut the door behind me. "What's up?"

"It's…it's about Popuri." He blushed, a sight that had grown familiar to me.

"Oh! What about her? How was lunch yesterday?" I only asked to be polite. I'd already gotten a minute-by-minute recap from Popuri.

"It was fine, it was fine…" He rubbed the back of his neck—another one of his nervous fidgety habits. "I guess…well, this feels really weird, I admit, but…I wanted to know…has she said anything about me?"

"Oh. Well, you know. This and that," I answered vaguely, trying to contain my amusement. It was fun to tease him. "All good, of course," I added after a moment's pause.

"R-really?" He looked unable to contain his satisfaction. "Th…that's great!"

"Yeah. You're doing great, Jack," I told him, smiling. "So, when's your next date?"

His grin faded. "Well…I dunno…I mean, are you really sure she wants to see me again?"

"Oh, Jack, of course she does. You mean you haven't asked her on another date?"

"Well, it technically wasn't a _date._ It was just _lunch_," he corrected. I gave him a stern look. It appeared that the two of them were still in denial. "A-anyway," he continued, "if you're sure—really, really sure—then I guess I will."

"You _guess_?"

"I…I mean, I _know_. I _know_ I will."

"That's what I like to hear," I answered, patting him on his shoulder—a gesture that required some effort seeing as how he was a good six inches taller than me.

He smiled and patted my shoulder back as a joke. "Thanks, Claire. You've been a big help."

"Aw, it's nothing," I demurred. "I'm happy for you two." And I really was. They were perfect for each other, it seemed. Matching up the two of them was a cinch.

We said goodbye and I went back inside.

"What did Jack want?" Rick asked innocently when I settled back onto the couch. I abandoned my book and instead sat next to him, turning my attention to what he'd been watching.

"Oh, just something about Popuri," I said simply, trying to dismiss the subject. I knew Rick liked Jack just fine, but I personally felt kind of weird discussing his little sister's boyfriend with him, and weirder to tell Rick about it.

"Hmm," was his only murmured reply.

* * *

"Wake up, wake up!"

My shoulders were being shaken roughly as I groaned and cracked open my eyes. There was a blur of pink before me.

"Ugh…Popuri, what is it?"

"I forgot to tell you, there's been so much going on! Claire, guess what? Today's the tomato festival!"

I pushed her hands away and pulled my blanket over my head. "Are you still dreaming, Popuri? That festival was discontinued ages ago." Before I'd ever been to Mineral Town, in fact—even before my first time when I was just kid. Apparently there was a shortage of fruits and vegetables overall since there were no farmers in town, and it was seen as wasteful to use tomatoes as ammo in a festival since everything had to be ordered and shipped into town.

"I know, it _was_. But now that Jack's here, the problem's solved!"

I sighed sleepily and took the blanket away from my face, finally sitting up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he took over that abandoned farm, remember? And he knew about the festival so he grew a ton of tomatoes, just for us to use in competition! Isn't that awesome?"

"Seems like a waste," I mumbled under my breath. It always had, shortage of fruits and vegetables or not. I raised my voice so Popuri could hear me. "Anyway, so it's today? When? And we're going, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, of course! It'll be great! I don't really remember it too well, but Rick said it was a ton of fun! It's in a couple of hours." She paused, biting her lip worriedly. "Are you okay with going?" She was no stranger to my pessimistic and general uncooperative personality, even if I had gotten better about it lately.

I half-grinned at her, shaking my head. "I'm not gonna have to get makeup done, am I?"

She giggled. "No. I promise."

"Okay. Count me in then, I guess."

* * *

Popuri and Rick explained the rules of the competition on the way over to the square. I'd heard it before, and the concept wasn't that hard to grasp, anyway.

There were two opposing teams, and they pelted each other with tomatoes. The point of the game was to hit someone. Once someone was hit, they were out—a "last man standing" kind of game. Barrels were provided as cover, but that was it. You had to be fast and accurate to stay in the game.

I wasn't much of a sports person. Of course, I was no wimp either, but I preferred not to exert myself if given a choice.

And with Popuri involved, there was no choice.

"I hope we end up on the same team," she said, squeezing my arm in excitement.

I frowned. "Wait…we don't get to pick our teams?"

"No, silly! That wouldn't be fair, would it? It's a random draw."

"…Oh." _So I could end up on Kai's team._ I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing—I could easily picture him throwing a tomato at me no matter whose side he was on. "Then I hope we're on the same team, too. With Rick, preferably. And Jack."

She smiled and blushed, shaking her head. "Y-yeah. Fingers crossed," she sighed, showing me her fingers.

"It's time to announce the teams for the first round!" Mayor Thomas boomed, and everyone gathered around to listen.

As it turned out, the results were:

Team A: Me, Popuri, Jack, Ann, and Gray

Team B: Rick, Kai, Cliff, Karen, and Elli

I was happy to be with Popuri (I'd feel bad chucking fruit at her and messing up her hair or something) but it felt a little awkward to be going against Rick. And admittedly a stupid part of me was jealous that he ended up on the same team as Karen.

And then there was the fact that he was also on the same team as his nemesis and my friend, also known as Kai.

"Hey," Rick said, catching me while people were still getting things set up. "I know it's a little weird, but, uh…" He laughed and grinned. "Good luck out there."

"Hah! As if I'll need it," I said, sticking my nose up in the air with pretend cockiness. "I think _I'm_ the one that should be saying that to _you_."

"Oh, really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His smile remained. "We'll see about that." Nevertheless, he still stole a quick peck on my cheek before returning to his side. I stayed there for a few seconds, watching him go, and saw Kai staring at me.

My heart instantly sped up, like I'd been caught doing something bad. _It's just Kai. Relax._ I gave him a little wave and he waved back, smiling at me before Karen tapped him on the shoulder and said something to him. I turned away and walked back over to Popuri.

"Ready?" she whispered to me, when we were both settled behind the barrels.

I smiled slightly at her, feeling the nervous energy bouncing around in my limbs. "Yeah. Ready."

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

I know I usually wait til Fridays to update, but I just finished this a few hours ago and had to post it! It's not the best chapter I've written (IMO) but it moves the story along. I already have the rest of the fic planned, so it's kind of frustrating to still be stuck back here when I'm so excited about what's going to happen XD;

Btw--this fic is going to be the same length as Summer Skin, as in eight chapters with an epilogue. Gosh, I can't wait to write chapter eight! It's gonna be dramatic ;D

Anyway, I'm so sorry that updates are sporadic now. :( I still think about this fic almost every day and I'd write for it more if I could. Thanks for all the continued support through reading, reviewing, and faving X3; Keep it up, and enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter 5**

My team didn't fare so well.

Popuri and Gray were the first two out on my team, both by Karen who showed no mercy. Ann struck Elli, but then Kai knocked her out. Then it was down to just me and Jack versus Rick, Kai, Karen, and Cliff. I managed to get Cliff without getting hit myself and Jack took out Karen, which was pretty impressive. But when I aimed for Rick next, my throw fell short and I suddenly felt the unpleasant sensation of tomato juice soaking through my shirt. Rick had tagged my shoulder, and Kai got Jack soon after that.

After our team lost, the opposing team had a little celebration. Karen shouted something happily and ran over to Rick, throwing her arms around him. I turned away when I saw her hug him back.

"Good job, partner," Jack congratulated, sticking out a hand for me to shake. Tomato guts were spread across his eye like a watery gash—Kai had hit him square on the forehead.

I laughed and tried to wipe my sticky fingers on my jeans before I shook his hand. "Thanks."

Popuri appeared at his side, slipping one arm around him, and he slid his arm around her in return.

Ann was suddenly in my ear, her hand on my shoulder. "Jeez, that was intense," she muttered, shaking her head. "You two were great! Sorry I couldn't be more of a help."

I shook my head and grinned. "No, no, you helped a ton. You, too, Gray," I added, directing my last statement to the blacksmith who was standing off to the side in silence. He merely tugged on the brim of his hat in response.

A hand appeared over my eyes, blocking my vision, and I felt someone pull my head back against their chest.

"Guess who," the person asked, and I could tell right off the bat just by his fingers that it was Rick. I didn't bother to move.

"Are you done with your little victory dance?" I asked. I meant for it to be a joke, but it came out sounding spiteful. The image of Karen and him with their arms around each other was still burned in my mind.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He removed his hand and took my shoulders, turning me gently so I was facing him.

I shrugged, staring at the ground. I felt ashamed at myself and angry with him at the same time. "You hit me with a tomato," I answered, using this as an excuse.

"Oh, come on, Claire—that was all part of the game, right?"

"Was hugging Karen part of the game, too?" I blurted, unable to hold back any longer. I made sure to keep my voice low, though; I didn't want anyone else to overhear.

Rick frowned, taking me by the arm and leading me over to a quieter part of the square to talk. "Claire, what are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean," I said, waving my arm at the space between it as if it held some kind of answers. "That hug she gave you when you guys won. You hugged her back."

"Karen's my friend," he said, looking slightly aggravated with my reaction.

"But you used to like her."

"That's not tr—"

"Don't deny it, Rick, please. You had a crush on her for the longest time." I crossed my arms. I knew I was being pathetic, but the words kept coming. "In fact, I…I don't know when you really stopped."

The crease in his brow deepened with his irritation. "Okay fine, you're right. I used to like her. _Used_ to. But I got over her, Claire—especially after you came back last summer. I thought that was obvious."

I shrugged again, but didn't say anything else.

He looked strained. "Look, can we drop this please? I don't want to argue."

I chewed my lip nervously, my eyes locked on my feet again. "Yeah, okay," I said, trying to sound convincing. I suddenly felt exhausted; the soreness in my limbs from lobbing tomatoes for so long had snuck up on me.

He reached for my hand and guided me back to where the others were standing. Both Popuri and Kai gave me curious looks when we returned, but I turned away.

I wanted to go home, but I decided not to say anything.

I noticed Rick didn't look at Karen for the rest of the time we were there.

* * *

_I'm such a horrible girlfriend._

Of course Rick wasn't interested in Karen any longer. They were just friends. And maybe he did see her every single day and they spent a lot of time together and he usually didn't invite me along, but so what? He couldn't spend every moment with me. Besides, I hung out alone with Popuri a lot sometimes, and I visited Kai. So obviously I had no reason to be upset.

But even despite this logic, I still had trouble convincing myself. I decided to ask Popuri's opinion.

"Can I talk to you about Rick?" I asked later that evening, when we were alone at the house.

Popuri wrinkled her nose at me. "Um, I don't know. I mean, he's my brother, so I hope it's not going to be something about—"

"No, no, it's not like that!" I interrupted quickly, not even wanting to know how that sentence would finish. "It's more about Karen, actually." I felt so stupid just saying it out loud. I couldn't believe how big a deal I was making about this.

"Karen?" She tilted her head to the side curiously, not making the connection. "What about her?"

"I wanted to know if you knew if…if Rick still liked her." I stared down at the floor now. I was too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

Popuri's reply was quick. The paranoid part of me wondered if she was being hasty. "What? No! Of course not. I know he had a crush on her when we were kids, but he got over that a long time ago."

"He liked her last summer," I pointed out, lifting my head. "I could tell. Anyone could."

Popuri couldn't deny this. "Well…yeah…I guess that's true," she admitted with a shrug. "But I guess once you guys started talking, he stopped being interested in her."

That just didn't sound right. Was it really that easy to just flip a switch and change how you feel about someone?

Maybe I'm overthinking this. He was probably never serious about Karen in the first place—not how he's serious about me. I mean, he is serious about me, right?

"Claire," Popuri said firmly, putting a hand on my arm as if she'd read my mind. "Listen. As his little sister, I can confidently say Rick is crazy about you. He thinks you're great, and for once, I totally agree with him."

_Way to make me blush. _"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, shaking off her hand. I scratched the back of my neck, trying not to smile too big. "…Thanks, Popuri."

"You're welcome."

I did feel a little better hearing Popuri say all that, but I wasn't sure how much she really knew, how much she saw.

_She is his sister, and she has lived with him for seventeen years,_ I considered silently. _She probably knows what she's talking about._

I guess it was time for me to let it go.

* * *

It felt like a bad idea as soon as I shut the front door behind me. Or maybe when I first slid my flip-flops on.

No, I knew it didn't just feel like a bad idea—it _was_ a bad idea. It was stupid, illogical, pointless, and yet I snuck out of Chicken Lil's that night anyway and headed for the beach, almost running in my anxiety.

Anxiety about what, I wasn't sure. It was lots of things. I felt nervous about going out so late without telling anyone; gone were the days when I used to get a thrill from being sneaking around. Though I wasn't afraid of getting caught so much as Rick finding out where I was going.

I had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate me meeting Kai on the beach in the middle of the night in secret.

Kai actually didn't know about it either. It had been a spur of the moment decision made while I lay awake in my sleeping bag, staring up at the bumps on the ceiling that had grown so familiar to me I could map them out even in the dark. I needed to talk to someone else about my unease about Rick, which still clung to me relentlessly. I told myself that I just needed to hear a second opinion, but really I missed the nightly conversations I'd had with Kai last summer. He had this way of always understanding exactly what I meant, and even though I knew Rick wasn't his favorite topic, I hoped he could come through for me once again.

Even though I was desperately hoping he'd be there, I still got a shock when I saw that figure standing at the shoreline, hands in his pockets, looking out across the waves. I slowed down and tried to catch my breath as I walked silently towards him, the softness of the sand and the sound of the sea swallowing my footsteps.

There was no way he heard me coming, and yet when I got to his side he turned to me almost instantly, completely unsurprised, and smiled.

"Hi," he greeted, looking solemn despite the smile. Well, not solemn, exactly—more like pensive. I wondered what he could be thinking about, and remembered the times when he used to tell me what was on his mind.

"Hi," I said back, feeling anxious for a whole different reason. I knew that the squirming in my stomach couldn't just be about the fear of Rick finding out about this.

_No, it's not just Rick,_ I realized. _It's me. I'm afraid of myself._

I recalled what Kai had told me.

_You want to make sure that I'm not interested in you so you won't be tempted to dump Rick for me, _he'd said that day, at the swimming festival.

I tried to stop thinking about it.

"You know, you never told me why you came to Mineral Town," I began, even though it wasn't what I came there to say. But suddenly I couldn't find the words to say what I wanted to, and so I settled for the first thing that popped in my head. "And don't tell me that bogus story about getting on a boat and pointing your finger and telling the captain to go 'that-a-way.'"

"You never told me why you came to Mineral Town," he shot back accusingly, not even asking me why I was bringing it up. "You first."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, making a big production out of it even though I didn't really care anymore. I still felt a tiny flutter of shame in my stomach, but I could push it away. Now that I was a little older and time had passed, I'd realized that it wasn't quite the end of the world for people to know about my past.

"I hid my friend's weed in my sock drawer and my mom found it," I recited, choosing to go straight to the point and skip unnecessary details. "She's friends with Lillia so she sent me here last year for the summer as punishment. I used to come here before that and play with Popuri, back when I was younger, but I stopped coming when my dad left my mom." As soon as I said it out loud, I noticed that it wasn't a very good reason to stop coming. I tried to think of a justification. "I guess I didn't feel like it anymore. So I didn't come back until my mom made me."

He looked at me for a while after that, like he was seeing me for the first time. Then he shook his head and smirked at me. "Was that so hard? And look, I didn't even have to take your flip-flops for you to spill the beans."

"Haha," I said, smiling back at him. I actually felt lighter having told my story—I'd never pictured myself telling anyone like this. "Don't go changing the subject on me. We were talking about you first. Why are you here?"

"My father, the king of my home country, arranged for me to marry the neighboring country's princess when she and I were only seven-years-old. We were to be wed when we turned eighteen and I took over the throne, but I couldn't bear to be trapped in a loveless marriage for the rest of my life, so I fled the country and snuck onto boat after boat until somehow I ended up here."

My mouth hung open slightly for a few seconds when he finished. Then I shut it and asked, "…How long did it take you to come up with that?"

He laughed, a full-bellied one. "Damn, you're good. I thought I had you for a second."

I snorted. "As if anyone would actually believe something that ridiculous. Besides, it wouldn't explain why you're only here during the summer."

Kai grinned at me and then scratched the back of his head, looking back out at the ocean. "Fine. You've been truthful and so will I. My father isn't a king, and there wasn't ever an arranged marriage."

"Really?" I said sarcastically, but he shushed me.

"I didn't interrupt you, so keep quiet. Anyway, I come from a family of doctors—"

"Oh, shut up."

"I'm serious. Just let me finish. I come from a family of doctors. My dad's a doctor. My mom's a doctor. My older brother's a doctor—"

"You have an older brother?" Even if I was supposed to be quiet, I couldn't help myself.

Kai gave me a stern look and said, "Claire," and I mimed a zippering motion across my lips. Then he continued. "Anyway, my parents and brother are doctors, and it's not like they expected me to follow in their footsteps or anything, but there was always that pressure, you know? To study and to strive and to achieve, and I wanted to take it easy. Or rather, I wanted to prove I could be successful without things like school and learning and whatnot. It was kind of dumb, but I moved out the day I graduated high school and refused to take any money from my parents. I wanted to make it on my own. To stand on my own two feet. Really, it was all about pride.

"So how did I get here? I met Zack when he came to the mainland to pick up some orders. He liked me, and suggested that I start my own business. Just a little restaurant or something. I was interested, and he told me all about Mineral Town and how it could use a little spicing up, and I guess I got this idea that I was going to be the one to do that or whatever. Like I said, pretty dumb.

"But the truth is, I like it here. Most of the time, anyway. I come from a really hot place so to me it feels like it could be fall when it's summer here. I don't think I could stand to be here year round. Besides, no one wants snow cones in the winter.

"The end," he finally said, waving his arm with a flourish, and I stared at my feet, running a hand through my tangly hair while I processed his story.

"Wow," I said, unsure of what else would fit in this situation. All that time I'd spent getting to know Kai, and suddenly I felt like I didn't know a thing. He was always this mysterious force, pulling me in, and now I knew that he was just a somewhat spoiled guy who found out living on his own wasn't as glamorous as he thought.

It wasn't disappointing, but it felt weird knowing something so personal about him. It changed things, like everything was upside down now. The whole day had gone like that. I couldn't trust Rick or myself and now I realized there was more to Kai, too—as if there hadn't been enough to him already.

Everything got so complicated.

"Yup. Now I'm just scraping by. I go back home for the rest of the year—I've got my own place back in my hometown, and I visit my parents every so often. I work odd jobs to save up money to run the restaurant here in the summertime. I don't exactly get back a big profit on it, but it's what I like to do."

"Huh." I looked up from my toes to meet his eyes and I could see the Kai that I knew still there, still smirking at me.

"I thought you said we weren't going to have these meetings at night anymore," he said, and then I remembered why I was there in the first place. Rick.

I shrugged in response. There wasn't much to say to that. How could I explain the unexplainable? I had to see Kai and so I came. It was as simple as that.

"Let's just say I wouldn't mind it if it was Rick's turn to be jealous," I muttered, surprising myself. But as soon as I said it I knew it was true.

Kai raised an eyebrow at me, his smirk disappearing. "Hey, don't say that. He cares about you a lot, you know."

"Yeah?" Admittedly I was kind of stunned to hear Kai say that. I thought coming to Rick's defense, even if it wasn't in the most direct way, was the last thing I'd ever see him do.

"Yeah. I think you shouldn't be so hard on him. He's new at this, I'm sure. You're like, his first girlfriend, aren't you?"

I thought about Karen. I'd never know for sure if anything ever happened between her and Rick. "Well, all I can hope for is that I'm his _only_ girlfriend."

Kai elbowed me and gave me a smile. "Now, now. Don't make regret giving up and handing you over to him."

"Haha," I laughed exaggeratedly, even though it wasn't very funny.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Here's an update for you guys--finally! I'm not entirely happy with this chapter; I feel like it's too choppy and too short overall. But I needed to write it, because the next two chapters, which are also the last two chapters, are going to be super fun and exciting and I can't wait. :D I hope that those of you lovely patient people who are still around are also excited!

Thanks for all the support everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting. School is preventing me from doing any kind of regulated update schedule, but I still enjoy writing very very much--this fic especially. It's like my baby.

Oh, and also, if anyone is interested in the results of the poll on my profile that I started a while back, I think it's safe to declare Kai as a winner. XD; I'll still leave it open until the end, though. But has anyone changed their minds since they voted? Just out of curiosity. If you want, let me know in a review. :)

Thank you so so much, and enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Miraculously things returned to normal after my little fight with Rick. And it really was a miracle—even if he had forgiven me, I still felt humiliated just being around him. Even more so when I still got that tiny jealous pang every time he said he was leaving to go hang out with Karen.

But then again, I really didn't have a right to talk. I'd been spending more time with Kai now—though never again at night. After I told Kai the truth about my past and he told me about his, suddenly I felt like I needed to get to know him better. And what he said about Rick, standing up for him—at least in his own way…it made me realize that he'd gotten a lot more mature. It made me feel like a little kid, like I had a lot of catching up to do, even if I was three years younger than him. It was like everyone else discovered how to act like an adult and I was still stuck in this childish state of mind.

Popuri and Jack were as cute as ever. That made me kind of jealous, too, though I wasn't upset. I just wished that things could be as simple and easy for me as they were for her. It seemed like she was completely over Kai—and if I were to be completely honest with myself, I don't think I was.

Even after that botched kiss at the fireworks festival, I still found myself wondering sometimes: what if?

What if I'd liked Kai when he liked me? Assuming he'd ever really liked me in the first place.

And assuming he'd stopped liking me. If he had liked me.

But even if I did sometimes think about the ifs, that didn't make me any less happy with Rick. Just a little confused; a little uncertain.

Maybe it was because I was so bottled up inside my own head that I didn't realize Lillia had caught on to us.

"You know, you two, you don't have to hide it from me anymore," she said cheerfully one day, her words provoking an immediate reaction.

Rick and I both froze instantly. We were in the kitchen, washing dishes, and I'd just pressed my mouth to Rick's cheek for a quick peck since Lillia was on the sofa facing away from us and I figured we wouldn't be caught.

I could feel his skin heat up beneath my lips, and knew my face was painted with the same flush.

Finally, sheepishly, I pulled away and we both turned towards Lillia. Except that she wasn't even looking at us—she had her eyes on the book in her lap, like she'd never even seen us in the first place.

_Maybe she didn't,_ I thought. _Maybe she's talking about something else—_

"I know I've been busy with Zack, but it's not like I'm oblivious to my children." She finally looked up at us then, smiling brightly. "I've always thought you would make a cute couple. Congratulations, you two."

_So much for that._

A nervous, embarrassed giggle escaped me then and I glanced over at Rick for help.

"Thanks, Mom," he mumbled, but he was fighting back a grin, too. The two of us stood in an awkward silence when Lillia returned to reading her book, so I broke the ice by giving him proper kiss on the cheek and flicking him with a few stray suds. He got me back and then we both resumed our chore, the world returning to normal again.

And for that, I was relieved. It's not like I ever really thought Lillia would react badly when she found out about my relationship with Rick, but I couldn't help but worry about it.

Plus, admittedly, it'd been kind of nice acting like it was our own secret, even though other people had already found out about it.

But I had feeling we'd still keep sneaking kisses undercover—after all, it was more fun that way.

* * *

I was more than a little grateful to hear from Sasha that we were done with dress fitting. I couldn't take another second of it, and every time I had to step into the lacey cloth I got a weird squirmy feeling, as if my body were allergic to pretty things. It didn't suit me even though Popuri insisted otherwise.

I noticed that after every fitting, Popuri always lapsed into a quiet, contemplative silence, and once we were finished with the final fitting, I decided to ask her about it.

"What's up, Popuri?" I prompted casually, dropping down onto the sofa next to her, where she sat staring at the blank television.

She blinked and shook her head a little, like she'd been startled out of daydream. She gave me a small smile and shrugged her shoulders, her pink curls bouncing with even this small motion. "Nothing."

We sat like that for a while, and it wasn't too awkward, though it was unusually silent—at least for Popuri. Eventually, I tried again. "Is it about the wedding?"

"What about the wedding?" she chirped in response, but I could tell her enthusiasm was guarded.

"I was just wondering about…about how you really felt about it. You've never told me." I'd talked to Rick about it enough; I could tell that he didn't exactly like the idea of their mom giving up on their dad, but I think he'd gave up the idea of him ever coming back a long time ago—reluctantly, of course.

Popuri, however, was a different story; I knew she hadn't been old enough to know her father before he left, and never seemed to complain about being gone. But I also knew that didn't mean that she was for her mother's remarriage, either, no matter how carefree she acted.

She shrugged again and turned her eyes downward. "I don't know…it's…I'm happy. For my mom." She gathered up her hair, pulling back it into a ponytail and then releasing it, spilling it over her shoulders. I recognized it as something she did whenever she was trying to say the right thing, even if she wasn't quite sure what it was. "And Zack's great. I've known him since I was born. But…well…it feels a little weird sometimes. To see her getting married. I mean, I know she was married to my dad, but that was…" She broke off with a wave of her hand, struggling for the end of her sentence. "…That was different. I didn't know him. I've never actually known what it was like to…to see her married."

I smiled, pulling my feet up onto the kitchen and tucking them under me. "So you don't want things to be different? Well, that's understandable, isn't it?"

Popuri pulled on the ends of her hair, frowning a little. "Yeah, I guess so, but…I feel bad for feeling this way. She's my mom. She deserves to be happy. I wish I could be happier about it." She paused and bit her lip with a smile. "And in a way, I'm a little jealous. I want to get married someday. I hope it can be as great of a wedding as her and Zack's is going to be."

"I think Jack would make a pretty good husband," I teased, trying to keep a straight face as she smacked me lightly with one of the throw pillows on the sofa.

"Oh, shut up!" she cried, but looked pleased. "We're not getting _married!_"

"Yet," I added, which earned me another cushioned whack.

* * *

For some reason, I couldn't fall asleep that night.

So many things were rolling around in my head—Rick, Popuri, the wedding, Kai. It seemed like even though I'd tried talking out my troubles, I still hadn't gotten anywhere. Already summer was half over, and I felt like I'd wasted most of the time stressing out.

I must've drifted off because my eyes suddenly flew open in the dark and I didn't remember ever closing them. I got the feeling like I'd been jerked from a vivid, too-real dream, but it left me the instant I awoke, flitting away like a vibrant butterfly.

I heard a faint noise from faraway in the house, like someone was downstairs. The noise made every hair stand on end and sent a shiver across my scalp and down my arms.

Curiosity got the better of me. I stumbled over to the bedroom door and grabbed the knob, a flash of drowsy paranoia giving me pause—what if someone broke in? What if it was an intruder? I shook away the illogical, nighttime-induced thoughts and stepped out into the hallway just in time to see Rick appear at the top of the stairs. I jumped slightly in spite of myself.

"Oh, hey," he said after a second, looking surprised, too. I'd already gotten over my shock, but now my brain was struggling to understand what he was doing there, in the middle of the night, fully dressed as if he'd just returned from some errand.

"Hey," I replied, feeling my eyebrows bunch together. I blinked blearily in the brightness of the hall light. "I…I thought I heard something."

He looked apologetic as he came down the hall, stopping when he reached me. He ran a hand over my bed head with a half-grin—I could only imagine how my hair had to look, twisted into impressive, vine-like tendrils—and I grinned back.

"Sorry," he said in a mutter, his hand trailing from my head to my shoulder to my elbow. "I tried to be quiet. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Where were you?" Suddenly my nose wrinkled as I got a whiff of an alien odor wafting off of him, distributed by the motion of his arm on mine. "And what's that smell?" I felt like I recognized it, and yet my brain couldn't come up with the word for it.

"I don't smell anything," he answered—a little too fast, I thought. He yawned and took his hand off my elbow, reaching his arms above his head in a languid stretch. "You should get to bed. I'm pretty tired myself."

"Rick. Wait. You smell like—is that alcohol? It's…it's really strong. Were you drinking?" It wasn't like I didn't know he drank on occasion; Rick was of age, after all, and it wasn't like he ever got all sloppy drunk, so there wasn't much to worry about. But he would never go to the bars so late—at least that I knew of.

"It was Karen who as drinking, not me," he said, and then a second later winced, like he realized the implication of his response.

"Karen?" I asked, trying to keep my tone smooth, void of any disgruntled wrinkles. _You are the calm girlfriend,_ I reminded myself. _Cool, calm, collected. Get the facts first before you freak out._ "You were with Karen?"

"Y-yeah. It's…it's a long story. She said she needed to talk."

"So you guys talked." My voice was as flat as a blade. "And she drank."

"Yeah. At the bar. She…it was about her parents. They've been fighting more than usual, so…" I could see how uncomfortable Rick was, and I told myself he was uncomfortable because I was upset, not because he was guilty.

"That was nice of you," I said, and I watched him cringe again.

"Claire. Please," he sighed, and for some reason his plea immediately sent an irritated flush crawling across my skin.

"Please what?" I asked snappishly, crossing my arms and leaning on the doorframe to Popuri's room.

"Just…don't do this."

"Do what?"

He rubbed the side of his face, like he was worn out already. "Let's talk in the morning, okay?"

"Fine," I said, turning on my heel and shutting the door behind me, careful not to look back and see his face. When I slid back underneath my blankets, I felt hot prickles of shame and self-hatred and suspicion all over my arms and legs. I replayed the conversation over and over again, searching for hidden meanings in words, wondering if I was justified in my reaction. Wondering if I was supposed to believe what Rick said. Wondering what really happened at the bar, and if I'd ever know.

It didn't exactly help me fall back asleep.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! I'm here with the latest chapter :) I'd started this one about a month ago, but last night I worked on it until 2AM and then finished it this morning! Unfortunately, I haven't edited it, so I can't vouch for its coherence or readability xD;

There are things I like and dislike about this chapter, but one thing I really like is that things are happening, things that I've had planned for a while! I hope I can continue to keep everyone interested :) I don't know when the next update will come, but I have another week of winter break, so hopefully I can get some writing done during that time.

One more chapter after this, and then an epilogue...wow.

Enjoy the holidays everyone! :D

* * *

**Chapter 7**

My mind was racing when I awoke—I might as well have slept with my eyes open. Popuri was still asleep when I tiptoed out of the room. I noticed Lillia's bedroom door was still shut, but Rick's was open. Downstairs was empty so I went outside to find Rick brushing off his hands.

"Just finished with the chickens," he said when I was within earshot. His voice was careful, measured, deliberate. "Want to go get some breakfast at the inn?"

His words from the night before rang in my mind. _Let's talk in the morning, okay?_ This was it.

I nodded, and we went.

* * *

We were both quiet the whole walk on the way to the inn. It was agonizing, and it brought me back to last summer, when he was mad at me and wouldn't even look at me.

But this time, I felt a little less guilty. The thought made my heart pound uncomfortably.

Ann welcomed us in, friendly and warm as ever. She led us to a table and as she took our orders, I remembered the time Kai had sat with us and he and Rick had that awkward argument. I'd stood up for him, and afterwards he'd ended up going off with Karen.

"So…what happened last night?" I asked, when he didn't say anything. He drank his coffee and I'd gotten ice water.

He took a deep breath, like he was preparing himself for a battle. "I was at the bar like usual. Karen was there. She'd been drinking, and all of a sudden she started crying, and—"

"Were you drinking?" I cut in, unable to stop myself. I felt like I had to know.

"No. I wasn't." He looked me right in the eyes when he said it, sounding confident and believable. But I still kept my guard up. "Claire, please, I know how it sounds…but all Karen wanted to do was talk, and that's what we did."

"What did you talk about?" I asked in a casual tone, knowing that I was probably pushing it.

"Her parents. They…they were fighting again." He paused, and I immediately felt guilty for asking; this was none of my business. When he continued, his voice was low, though there was no one else in the inn. "She said that her mother threatened divorce."

"That's terrible," I blurted, empathy prompting my sudden reaction. My parents were divorced, too, after all. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, so am I," he said, his eyes getting a faraway look I couldn't read. I cleared my throat.

"I…I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, then," I said, deciding to believe him. He seemed to be being genuine, and I knew enough about the strife between Karen's parents to know that he wasn't making it up. I chalked it up to paranoia on my part, and though it didn't completely pacify me, I didn't have the will to drag it on anymore. "It's just, I thought there was something that…well, I wanted to clear the air."

"It's okay," he said, with a small, slightly guarded smile. "I understand."

Ann came up just then with our food, and we fell silent as she set our plates down in front of us, only speaking to murmur a quick thank you. I tentatively reached for my fork, and was fixing to dig into my scrambled eggs when Rick spoke up again.

"Well, if we're clearing the air, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

Something about the way he said it made my insides freeze, and I paused to hear his question, my fork in midair, eggs dangling precariously from the prongs.

"How do you really feel about Kai?"

He asked it bluntly, his tone as flat as a blade and just as dangerous. I felt heat make its way in needle pricks up my arm and across the back of my neck, settling in my cheeks. It felt strange to see the question I'd been secretly asking myself all summer presented to me—by Rick of all people—thrust out in the open, overt and blaring and now, finally, inescapable.

"I'm friends with him," I answered quickly, and then added clumsily, feeling like I needed to clarify, "_Just_ friends. I only see him as a friend."

"But you still go out at night to see him," he said, and with these words my face was surely colored guilty red, like paint on a culprit's hands, though I kept telling myself there was no crime, nothing to be ashamed of, no guilt to be had.

"Yes," I answered, keeping my voice level and my chin up. "I did go to see him once at night."

"Why?"

I felt like squirming in my seat but resisted the urge. "I wanted to talk to him. He's a good friend of mine."

I waited for the next question, the question he would surely ask: what Kai and I had talked about. I dreaded answering, since the topic was about Rick—specifically, the doubts I'd held about him and Karen. And since I made him tell me what he and Karen talked about, it'd only be fair to share my conversation with Kai. If he asked, that is.

Rick stayed very quiet, and when he finally replied, it was not the question I expected. "Do you trust him more than me?"

"That's…" I began, mortified when the answer didn't come as quickly as it should. I remembered how similar this was to the events of last summer, when he'd first found out I'd been confiding in Kai—specifically, about how I'd told Kai about Lillian's relationship with Zack but not Rick. I spoke as carefully as I could. "That's not how it is."

"Then tell me how it is." He wasn't angry, or at least, not that angry; his demand was open and honest and blunt, almost vulnerable in its desire for fulfillment.

"I just needed someone to talk to." I knew how bad it sounded, but I didn't want to lie. Unfortunately, telling the truth made hurting his feelings inevitable.

"And you don't trust me," he said, his words hitting me like a slap.

"Rick," I said, shaking my head.

"Then I guess that makes two of us with trust issues," he finished, and the insinuation in his words—that he didn't trust me any longer—made my blood run cold.

"Rick," I repeated, but for some reason, I couldn't think of what to say. I knew what he was saying wasn't right, but at the same time, I didn't know the words to refute him.

In the end, we ate the rest of the meal in silence.

* * *

Apparently Rick and I were no longer on speaking terms.

It was agonizing, just as bad as when he stopped talking to be last summer—if anything, this time it seemed even worse. I tried to go over what had happened to see what I'd done wrong and maybe even find a solution, but my mistakes seemed endless—confiding in Kai, questioning Rick about Karen, no longer trusting him, even if it was just for a moment. When had this mess started? If I really thought about it, it seemed like it went back even further, back to when Kai had kissed me on the dock on the final day of my stay last summer and beyond. It felt like it'd all been leading up to this—me making a choice I never knew I'd have to make.

I lay on my sleeping bag on the floor of Popuri's room, my arms and legs splayed out so I formed an x with my body. Popuri was out with Jack, Lillia was out with Zack, and Rick was in his room. I'd retreated to Popuri's room without saying a word to him, feeling like utter crap.

I heard the front door open and close, and when I heard footsteps start up the stairs, I figured it was Popuri. My assumption was affirmed when she appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," I said, sitting up quickly. I was eager to talk to her about what had transpired between Rick and I that morning, just to get it out of me. She'd been gone by the time Rick and I got back, so I hadn't had the chance yet.

However, I quickly noticed something was wrong, and it pushed all my problems out of my head. "Popuri?"

She wiped at her nose quickly, and that's when I saw the tears streaming down her face. I pulled myself up to my feet.

"Popuri," I said again, more urgently this time. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She shook her head, her face oddly blank, and went over to sit on the edge of her bed. She folder her hands in her lap and stared at them, taking a deep, shuddering breath. I waited, feeling greatly unsettled. I was accustomed to Popuri's hysterics; ever since we were kids, I'd always known her to be a loud, messy crier. But here she was, with that horrible, calm expression, tears slipping their way silently to her chin.

"Jack and I broke up," she said carefully, like she was speaking a foreign language for the first time and wasn't quite sure of the pronunciation.

"What?" No, she _was_ speaking a foreign language, she had to be—because she sure wasn't making any sense to me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we broke up," she said, and I watched her stony air crumble a little. "Today. Just now."

"How?" I asked, shaking my head involuntarily. "Why? What _happened_?"

"I…I don't really want to talk about it, Claire, if that's okay," she said, reaching up to wipe away her tears that still haven't ceased.

"Oh," I said, because for the first time in recent memory, Popuri was keeping something from me. "Well, of course. I mean, of course that's okay." She stared at me even after I was done talking, and I finally realized she wanted me to leave. I jumped up awkwardly to my feet, the sudden movement jostling her and the bed. "We can talk about it later, maybe?"

She nodded, but didn't look at me, and as I backed out of the room, I got the nagging feeling that we probably _wouldn't _be talking about it later. If ever.

* * *

I hated how at times like these, I beelined it right for the beach to find Kai. But what else could I be expected to do? My best friend was incapacitated the same day I lost my boyfriend. I had to talk to_ someone_ about it.

However, when I got to the beach, there was absolutely no sign of him. I ended up crouching on the ground at the edge of the waves, willing him to come like magic, the way he always did when I needed him. But he didn't.

I rested my head on my knees, feeling like I'd suffered a third loss that day.

* * *

Amidst all the strife, the Fireworks Festival snuck up on all of us.

Popuri, who was still unaware of the tension between Rick and I, insisted that I dress up like I did last year.

"Don't you want to look cute for Rick?" she asked me, and I could only smile weakly in response.

I wasn't trying to hide it from her, but I could tell she was still in a daze from the breakup. I knew that was the only way she hadn't noticed what was going on around her, because I felt it was pretty obvious, the way Rick didn't look me in the eye anymore and jerked away if I came too close. I was dying to tell her so I could get it off my chest, but I didn't want to pile my problems onto her already packed plate.

So the afternoon before the festival, I sat patiently in her room while she did my makeup and hair. "Aren't you going to dress up, too?" I asked her, and then I cringed as soon as the question popped out of my mouth. She probably didn't feel too motivated to get all dolled up to go to event where her ex-boyfriend was sure to be.

Her answer confirmed my thoughts. "Don't have anyone to dress up for," she said, with such false cheerfulness it was a little scary.

Once again, I was tortured with curiosity. I still hadn't gotten it out of her about what had happened, and I didn't want to pry. But I couldn't help myself. Why had Jack dumped her? Assuming he'd been the one doing the dumping, though I highly doubt it was Popuri—she looked devastated, after all, and I couldn't see her actually doing something like that, what with how happy she'd been with him up until the day of the breakup. I was tempted to go to Jack, but I figured there had to be some sort of best friend code that said I wasn't allowed to talk to the ex-boyfriend, at least not this soon, and so I didn't.

Whether any of us wanted to or not, eventually it came time to leave. Lillia had left a little earlier; Zack was supposed to help set things up and she wanted to accompany him. It was her first major trip out of the house, and normally I'd be thrilled for her, but the cloud hanging over everyone made it a little hard to feel celebratory.

So it was just the three of us, Rick on my left and Popuri on my right, walking to the beach. None of them were talking.

"So," I said, assuming that words would come naturally if I could just get started. But they didn't. Somehow, all the topics that I'd ever talked with either of them about suddenly seemed asinine or dangerous. "Nice weather we're having, huh?" I would've laughed, except that I realized I'd actually spoken out loud.

"Mmm," Popuri said noncommittally, chewing her bottom lip. Was she as uncomfortable as me, or was she just thinking of Jack? "By the way, you look nice, Claire."

"Thanks," I said, though I wondered if it was true—Rick hadn't given me a second glance when he saw me, and it kind of crushed any self-esteem I'd been hoarding. "But you did all of the work."

She smiled, but it was like she didn't hear me, because she didn't say anything else. In fact, no one said much of anything the rest of the way to the beach.

Well, this will be fun.

Popuri perked up a little once we were around Karen and Ann, and I was pretty sure she wasn't faking. Regardless, it was a relief to see her laughing again, even if it was an act. I also drew comfort from the fact that Karen didn't treat me any differently, which I could only hope meant that Rick hadn't told her anything. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was all jealous and possessive.

Still, though, it felt like I was on the outskirts of everyone, not quite tethered to the conversation. Popuri and Rick slid into it with ease, but for some reason, I found myself at a loss for words.

We hadn't been there too long when I felt two hands suddenly creep up my back and grip my shoulders from behind, making jump and giving me shivers. I looked over my shoulder to see Kai grinning at me.

"Hey, have we met before?" he said, holding out his hand. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere, but I can't quite think of where."

I stepped gratefully away from the group of people and smiled at him, rolling my eyes. "Hey. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"That's my line," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Where've you been?"

I shrugged, not wanting to bring up my reasons for avoiding him. I somehow figured that if I stopped talking to Kai, maybe Rick would start talking to me again. It hadn't quite worked yet.

"Oh, you know, here and there," I answered vaguely. "I'm very busy."

"Oh, I'm sure."

"Mmm." When had it gotten so hard to talk to him?

He kicked his big toe in the sand and then glanced at something over my shoulder. "I see Jack isn't talking to Popuri."

I looked over my shoulder and saw him, Jack, talking to Elli and Dr. Trent. "Oh? And just what makes you bring that up?"

"I dunno. I guess it's odd, isn't it?"

"I guess."

"Well, isn't it?" he insisted, and then scowled, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought they were dating, or something."

"They broke up," I told him, narrowing my eyes as I gauged his response.

I thought maybe I saw a flicker of something, but it could have just as easily been my imagination. "Oh. I didn't know that."

"Are you going to talk to her?"

"Who?"

"Popuri. Who else?"

He gave me another scowl. "Why would I talk to her?"

I shrugged. "Just a thought."

"Well, then stop thinking."

I hid my smile and then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack walk past. "I'll try. But anyway, can we talk more later? I have to go talk to Jack."

"Why?" he asked, but I was already gone, jogging up to Jack. I touched his arm so he'd stop and look at me.

"Hi," I said, when he turned to me but didn't speak.

"Hi," he said cautiously, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"So what's up?" I asked, trying not to wilt under his gaze. "Haven't seen you for a while."

He snorted. "I think you know why."

I blinked, taken aback by this response. "Um, not really. I mean, I know that you guys broke up, but I don't know why…"

Jack rolled his eyes—something I'd never seen him do before. "Oh, just cut it out, Claire."

I paused, not sure that I'd heard him correctly. "Cut _what_ out?"

He shook his head and turned away from me. "I can't believe you did this to me, Claire," he said over his shoulder before he walked off.

I stood by myself, looking after him as I heard Mayor Thomas make an announcement, something about the fireworks starting, but it barely registered. I didn't even look up at the sky when the first colorful explosions started; I just kept staring at the space where Jack had been, in shock. The thing that brought me back to reality was the feeling of someone brushing a hand against my arm.

I looked to my left, half-expecting it to be Kai, but I saw instead I saw Rick, who trailed his fingers down the bare skin of my arm and then took my hand. I met his eyes, and that's when he leaned down to kiss me without warning.

When he stopped, my ears were ringing, but not from the loud blasts coming from above. "I think we need to talk," I said, just as another bang went off.

"What?" Rick asked, tilting his head toward me to hear.

"I said I think we need to talk," I said, right in his ear, so close my lips brushed against the shell of it. "Can we go somewhere?"

He moved away from me and nodded, and as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the crowd, I felt fuzzy all over, and I wondered how things had been fixed without me having to do a thing.

I didn't know if Rick planned it, but somehow we ended up stumbling along in the dark towards Chicken Lil's. It was like my body knew what was going on before my mind did; my heart started pounding and my knees got all wobbly, but it wasn't until we were through the front door and heading up the stairs and going into Rick's room, kissing the entire way, did I begin to realize.

Still, I couldn't quite say anything. His mouth moved against mine almost angrily, and I tried to tell myself I wasn't scared. But when he was suddenly towering over me, with me lying back against his pillows (I hadn't even remembered getting to his bed), I finally said something.

"Rick." It was more of a gasp than anything, but he heard me and paused.

"Mm?" After a moment's deliberation, he moved to my throat. I could feel his teeth drag across the soft skin where my shoulder met my neck and it was almost too much to bear. My dress, bunched up around my thighs, kept hiking further and further up my legs, and I knew I had to at least say something before…well, before whatever we did whatever we were going to do.

"Talk," I managed to say. My brain, heart, and stomach all seemed to be doing acrobatics at once, clumsily crashing against one another. "Rick. I wanted to talk."

He stopped again, longer this time, and looked up at me. I'd never seen the look in eyes before. It was intense enough for me to almost forget what I wanted to say.

I was supposed to apologize again, but instead I heard myself asking, "What are we doing?"

For a moment it was perfectly quiet, and I realized we were both breathing heavily, our intakes and outtakes in perfect sync. Then the sheets rustled and the bed groaned as he shifted his weight so he wasn't pressed so flush against me.

"Well, do you want to stop?" he asked, dodging my question.

I thought about it, and decided that for now, I didn't. I liked this kind of kissing, and I didn't really want to put much thought to where it might lead. "No," I told him, and he looked visibly relieved, "but I don't understand why you're…I thought you were mad at me."

"I thought I was," he admitted, but he had a rueful smile. "But I missed you."

"You have an interesting way of showing it."

He laughed and then reached blindly in the bed for my hand, grasping it when he found it. "So you're okay?"

I wasn't sure what he meant by it. I feel kind of shaky and anxious and hazy, but I guess I feel okay, too. "I think so. As long as you're not mad anymore."

"Of course not," he said automatically. "I love you."

_Holy crap,_ I thought. _He's never said that before._

And that's when I realized, whether Rick intended it this way or not, this is a test.

I looked at him long and hard: the way his glasses sat crookedly on his nose, the way his hair stuck out on one side—I vaguely remembered running my hands through it—the way he was looking at me, with those hungry eyes. I wondered if this thrilled, terrified feeling coursing through my veins every time he touches me was love.

_He loves you,_ I told myself. _You know you love him too._

I take a deep breath and it catches in my throat. It felt wrong for this to be so scary, so hard to say. Wasn't love supposed to come naturally?

But it didn't matter. This was a test, and if I really cared about Rick, I would do this for him. I would let him do this.

I reached up, placing my hands at the nape of his neck, a familiar spot. And with the next four words, I gave my permission.

"I love you, too."

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Heeere it is, the labor of love. Haha. The final chapter :) It's only been lightly edited. I was so excited to finish it that I didn't have the patience to go over it too much. :P

Yes, there will be a third and final part to this little Claire saga. I hope that doesn't seem odd or forced or contrived! I pictured this as a trilogy as soon as I started working on the second part. So stay tuned for it, and check my profile for details.

What can I say? It's been quite a journey, and it's not even over yet. Thank you everyone. There were many times that I worried this fic wasn't good, but somehow you guys convinced me otherwise, haha. Please, share with me your feelings about this fic, especially now that it's completed! I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

x x x

**Chapter 8**

It was barely three seconds after I said I loved him when Rick abruptly pulled away and rolled off of me, settling down beside me.

"I don't think we should do this."

For a second, I was scared I was the one who'd spoken, who'd unintentionally put my thoughts into words, but my brain assured me it was Rick. Still, it was hard to believe.

"Wh—what? Why?" I asked. His bed was on the small side, so it was a bit hard for us to fit lying on our backs side-by-side—my arm was being crushed beneath his shoulder. He seemed to realize this and shifted as far over as he could to relieve the weight.

"Oh, come on, Claire. I know you're terrified." I could tell hear a hint of a smile in his voice, but I still looked over at him quickly to check. Sure enough, there was that grin—but it was gentle, rueful, not mocking.

"Are not!" I retorted indignantly, though not really because I meant it. I just felt oddly defensive, like I'd just failed something. Although, deep down, I also felt a little relieved.

Despite the fact that my pride screamed No! Don't do it! I heard myself ask, "And even if I were scared—if I were—what would make you think that I was?"

"Your eyes were closed," he said simply, like this explained everything.

"We were kissing! What, do you want me to keep them open and stare at you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but they were screwed shut—"

"Moving on," I interrupted.

He sighed. "Your voice cracked."

"I'm a little thirsty."

"Your whole body was tense."

"So? Maybe I'm a little nervous. It's my first time doing this, you know," I snapped, my tone sounding prickly and harsh, too loud for the small room.

"Me too," he said quietly, and we both fell silent.

"Okay," I said finally, when enough time had passed.

"Okay what?"

"Okay maybe I was terrified," I admitted, all in a rush, so fast and breathless I was almost incomprehensible, but I knew he understood. I paused, taking a deep breath. "I felt pressured." I stared at the ceiling, too embarrassed to look at him.

I heard him groan. "I know. I know. It's my fault. I feel like an ass."

"You're not an ass—" I began automatically, but he cut me off.

"No, don't try to make excuses for me. I am an ass. This was totally bad timing on my part. Completely inappropriate. I should've at least talked to you about it at first…"

"Well, it's not like we were on speaking terms," I pointed out, not able to keep the bite of sarcasm out of my voice.

"Yeah," he said, the guilt pulling on his words. "I know. Also my fault. Also proof of my assholeishness."

"Why did you…" I felt a nervous lump rise in my throat, and I swallowed it down. "Why did you want to—you know—with me? Tonight, of all nights?"

He breathed out a sigh through his lips. "I…I don't know. When I saw you standing there at the festival, talking to Kai, I just…"

So he did notice I talked to him, I thought. "You just what?" I asked.

"I missed you. And I wanted you."

The implication of his words sent little shivers all the way through to my toes that shocked me into silence. It was hard not to feel a little flattered.

"I felt really jealous of Kai," he continued, seemingly oblivious to my reaction. "I've been…jealous of him. I know that's really stupid, but…" He paused, and I could practically feel his blush radiating off of him. I knew it wasn't easy for him to admit it. "But I meant it when I said I love you, Claire. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm moving too fast. I wasn't thinking at all, it was stupid, I just caught up in everything, and…"

"I love you too," I said for the second time that night, though this time it felt like I was relieving a burden rather than gaining one. "But I don't think I'm ready for…"

"I know, I know. I understand," he answered hurriedly, giving my hand a squeeze. "Like I said, it's stupid. I won't try it again."

"Good."

We lay there for another couple minutes, and then I turned over on my side to face him.

"You know, Rick, you don't have to worry about Kai."

"I know," he said, clearly trying to keep his voice casual.

"I'm serious. There's…there's nothing between us." I hated that there was still something that made it hard to say, like it wasn't the full truth. But I knew I needed to reassure him.

"I know," he said again, and I saw him looking at me out of the corner of his eye. We stayed like that, me studying his profile and him studying the ceiling, for who knows how long. I felt my eyes shut and I drifted into a light sleep until I heard the sound of a front door opening.

My eyes flew open and I found myself staring into Rick's, his eyes as wide as mine. Somehow we'd ended up on our sides facing each other, our limbs jumbled together.

"It's Mom," he said in a whisper.

"And Popuri," I added, also in a hushed tone.

"Damn," we both muttered at the same time.

"Rick? Claire?" It was Popuri, calling from downstairs. At the sound of her voice we both immediately sprang up, untangling our limbs and rolling out of bed onto our feet. I frantically combed my fingers through my hair while he straightened his glasses. We smoothed out our wrinkled clothes as best we could, checked each other's appearances, and then nodded at each other and marched out of his room like two anxious soldiers going to war.

"We're here," I called back to Popuri when we'd reached the top of the stairs.

"What are you two doing home so early? When did you leave?" This was Lillia talking. Her voice came from the kitchen.

"I felt sick, so Rick took me home," I lied, coming down the stairs with Rick right behind me. "Stomachache."

"Are you sure you don't want to lie down?" Popuri asked worriedly, her brow furrowing.

"Uh, I already did. I'm fine now."

Popuri looked at the two of us for a moment longer than necessary, and I wondered if she took in our poorly masked dishevelment. I held my breath, waiting to see what she'd say.

"Okay," she said finally, and then shrugged and went to join her mother in the kitchen.

x x x

Things with Rick went back to normal after that. Mostly, anyway. But as the wedding pressed closer and closer, the excitement and the work it brought with it kept me, as well as everyone else, busy enough not to notice the awkwardness.

So busy, in fact, that I forgot my mother was coming until the day she arrived—the day of the wedding.

Popuri, Rick, and I rushed out to the dock that morning, just as the ferry pulled in. Rick offered to take her luggage but she insisted on carrying it herself, since it was just an overnight bag.

That's right. We were leaving the next morning. My heart gave a sad little squeeze at the thought of it.

"Gosh, you two look so grown-up," my mom rambled as we walked to Chicken Lil's. At least, it sounded like rambling to me. My mom was great at social situations since she never ran out of things to say, but she also never shut up. She started reminiscing on what Popuri, Rick, and I were like when we were kids, and the whole thing was sort of embarrassing, but she had Rick and Popuri cracking up. I envied her that—the way she could just _be_ with people, something that sounded so simple but felt so hard.. I wished that part of her had rubbed off on me.

But instead I got her straight blonde hair and her pale skin and her crooked nose. The truth was we looked a lot alike, something I didn't really like to admit, and something Popuri quickly took the liberty of pointing out.

"You know, you guys look like twins!" Popuri gushed, beaming at my mother and me. "Claire, it's like you're a miniature version of her!"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, rolling my eyes in Rick's direction. He smiled slightly and shrugged.

"I think you look alike, too," he confessed. Traitor. "At least a little bit." Well, that was better, I guess.

My mom chuckled and ruffled my hair, and I ducked, feigning annoyance, though I was really trying to wipe the grin off my face.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that things were going okay—having my mom around wouldn't be as bad as I feared.

x x x

After my mom and Lillia talked for a few hours, Mom went over to the inn to drop off her bags and get settled. The rest of the day was a blur, full of last minute preparations for the wedding. I went over to the church with Popuri and Rick to help with the decorations.

And even though I personally found the idea of pledging to spend your life with someone _forever_ a tad absurd, I couldn't help but get swept up in all the sappy excitement.

It all went so fast. Suddenly Zack and Lillia were standing right in front of me, giving their vows, and I couldn't stop smiling.

Of course, the perfection of the moment was dampened just a little by the fact that I had to wear that stupid frilly bridesmaid gown.

"Cut it out," Popuri hissed when she saw me squirming and continuously adjusting the garment. I was trying to be subtle about my discomfort—and failing, apparently.

"But it's so…lacey," I complained in a whisper, reaching down to pinch some of the silky fabric between my fingers.

"It's a _wedding_," Popuri shot back through her teeth, smiling out at everyone in the pews. "Of course there's lace. And it's not like you haven't known what the dresses looked like all along—you went to the fittings."

Anna, obviously still bitter about being demoted to bridesmaid status, glared crankily at us and put a finger to her lips, shutting us both up.

Finally, Zack and Lillia kissed, and the ceremony ended to applause from every person in the church. As I clapped, I looked across at Rick, who stood among the groomsmen. He smiled at me—a big, genuinely happy smile. Then I glanced to my right at Popuri and saw she wore the same smile as her older brother. I felt happy for them, and for their mother, and gave a silent wish that the four of them—Zack included—would be happy together.

x x x

"You look beautiful," Rick said into my ear, putting his hand on my elbow as he walked up from behind me.

"Thanks, but you already told me that earlier," I replied, taking a small step back from him. Now that the ceremony was over, the festivities had moved outside in the little clearing on the edge of the forest next to the church. "And be careful—my mom's here." Though I didn't know how much Lillia had told my mother about Rick and me, it felt embarrassing to be cuddling with him right in front of her.

"Just relax, would you?" he said with a shake of his head and a playful grin. "It's a wedding. Drink and be merry." He reached towards the beverages—we were standing right next to the refreshments table—and handed me a tiny flute of champagne

I scowled at him but took the glass anyway. "Thank you, dear. I'll try," I said dryly, wrinkling my nose. But then I decided to loosen up a little. "And by the way, you look pretty handsome yourself." He was wearing a tuxedo, which looked sort of funny on him with his long hair and glasses, but it was at least cute to see him all cleaned up.

"Why, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"And it's a beautiful church, isn't it?" he said, a bit abruptly, shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. "We worked so hard on the decorations…"

"Yeah," I agreed. "It really came together."

"I'd want to get married here," he said. "Wouldn't you?"

I turned to him and opened my mouth to laugh, but his face didn't betray the slightest hint of jest.

Holy crap. He's totally serious.

My laughter died away instantly, replaced with a vague feeling of dread. I downed my champagne, hoping to stall for time while I processed what he'd said.

Marriage? Was he really talking about getting _married_? And was he speaking generally, or about _me_ specifically? In the possibly near future?

I raked my eyes across the churchyard for an escape route and spied one in the form of Jack. Ever since the Fireworks Festival, I hadn't said a word to him. It was about time I got to the bottom of things.

"I'll be right back," I mumbled to Rick, and without waiting for an answer, I set my glass down, pushed past him, and headed straight for Jack.

"Hey," I said, catching the sleeve of his suit jacket. "You look nice."

"Claire," he said, sounding surprised, but his face quickly rearranged itself into an expression of annoyance. He really did look nice though—he'd gone without his trademark cap, and his hair was neatly combed instead of sticking out in crazy directions.

"I need to talk to you," I said, quickly, so he couldn't get away. "It's about Popuri."

He flinched when I said that, his whole body going rigid. His lips pressed together in a straight, silent line.

Not exactly encouraging, but at least he hadn't bolted yet.

"I have no idea what happened, Jack," I told him, almost pleadingly. "But I swear I had nothing to do with it."

Jack sighed through his nose, but I could tell I'd softened him a little.

"Please, Jack," I said, begging now. "Can't you tell me what happened between you two?"

He ran a hand over the top of his head, instantly mussing his groomed curls and sighed again. "I guess you didn't have anything to do with it after all, huh?"

"No, I didn't." I spoke with some relief—finally, I was getting somewhere.

"I believe you." He looked away, seeming a little sheepish. "Sorry for blaming you."

"It's okay," I assured him, eager to get the details now that he wasn't mad at me anymore. "But why _did _you break up with her?"

Jack looked back at me quickly, with a funny look on his face. "Huh, you really didn't know anything about it. Popuri didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't," I said, frowning in confusion. "Tell me what, exactly?"

"I didn't break up with her. _She_ broke up with _me_."

My mouth fell open in surprise, and I instantly felt guilty. I went back over what Popuri had said about the breakup in my mind—she'd said so little, and yet I couldn't remember if she'd specified who dumped who.

For some reason, I'd assumed it was Jack the entire time. Oops.

"Oh, crap—I'm sorry Jack! I had no idea—I just thought that…" I trailed off, floundering with my words. "I didn't know."

"It's fine," he said with a shrug. "Though I thought she would've told you…"

_Me too,_ I thought, but I didn't say so out loud. "Then why did _she_ break up with you? Did you guys fight?"

Jack pulled at his tight starched collar, clearly agitated by the memory. "No, actually, we didn't. Things were going great, as a matter of fact. It came out of nowhere. She just…_dumped me_." He winced at the phrase. "Said that she didn't want to get so serious, that it was just a summer fling…" He dragged his fingers through his hair again, more gelled down locks springing free with the motion. "You know. That kind of thing."

I stared at him, trying to make sense of his words. A summer fling? _Popur_i_?_ I thought of how she'd been so happy with Jack, never once hinting about things getting too serious…

I decided to tackle something I'd have a better chance at solving.

"But what did I have to do with that? Why were you mad at me?"

"Well, you were the one who told me to go for her," he answered, his slight embarrassment returning. "I thought that you knew how it'd end up, and you were just messing with me…"

"I wasn't, Jack. I swear that I wasn't."

"I know."

"As far as I knew, Popuri really cared about you." I shook my head, at a loss for words. "I really don't know why she'd say something like that."

He coughed a little, clearing his throat, before he muttered his reply. "Yeah, I don't know why she would either," he said with a bitter smile. "I cared about her, too."

x x x

So. For my last mission of the night…

Popuri.

She'd avoided the subject with me long enough. I knew Jack had to be telling the truth, but something weird was going on.

It wasn't too hard to find her—she was with her mom and brother and Zack—who I guess was now her new step dad. For some reason that sounded kind of funny in my head, but I pushed the thought away and focused on my mission.

"Hey, Popuri," I said cheerfully, sidling up to her. I saw Rick look at me out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored him and cupped my hand on Popuri's elbow. "Do you mind if we talk for a second?"

"Um, okay," she said, looking slightly puzzled, but she let me lead her away to a quieter part of the yard, away from all of the guests and the noise.

"What's up?" she asked, once I made sure we wouldn't be overheard.

"I talked to Jack," I answered, deciding to get straight to the point.

"Oh," she said, her eyes immediately focusing on a spot near my shoes. "And how is he?" Somehow she was able to sound as upbeat as she always did, even though her face betrayed her misery.

"Well, he seemed kind of upset," I said casually, staring at her hard. "And I can understand, especially after he told me why you broke up with him—you know, about how it was just a _'_fling_'_?"

I saw her bite her lip, but she didn't say anything.

"Popuri," I said, feeling suddenly frustrated. "Why didn't you tell me any of this? You seemed so happy with him. And I really supported him, both of you. You made him feel really stupid."

"I know I did," she replied, her voice soft and sad now. She looked up at me finally, and I could see she was on the verge of tears. "You think I don't know that? Of course I know that. _I_ feel stupid for making _him_ feel stupid. But…"

"But what?"

"I just couldn't be with him anymore."

"But _why_, Popuri? What went wrong?"

"If I tell you, you'll think I'm an idiot."

I raised my eyebrows at that. What could she possibly be talking about? "I won't, Popuri, I swear. I just want to know what's bothering you."

She took a deep breath, and I could hear her lungs hitch a little—she was clearly holding back a sob. "I still like Kai."

I didn't know why, but for some reason that one sentence stabbed right through my stomach. "…Are you serous?"

"I knew it! You _do_ think I'm an idiot!" she wailed loudly, and I held up my hands to calm her, not wanting to attract attention to us.

"No, no," I said, trying to sound soothing, though that stabbing feeling wouldn't disappear. "That's not what I meant. I'm just surprised, that's all."

"I thought that I stopped," she said with a moan, wiping her nose with a sniffle. "I _did_ stop. But then when he came back this summer…and he stared talking to me again…it was like opening a floodgate."

"Wait, you and Kai have been talking?" I blurted out, even more surprised now. This was news to me. "He never said anything about that to me. And neither did you."

She shrugged, obviously not finding that detail very important. I felt stupidly hurt by it, like the both of them had left me out of something, but I pulled myself together and brushed it off the best I could.

"Anyway," she continued, "I really did care about Jack. I still do. It wasn't just a fling. But Kai…" She sighed and dabbed at her eyes, at the tears sneaking out at the corners.

I stayed silent, hating that I was so inexplicably annoyed.

"I can't stop thinking about him," she finished, her words coming out like a quavering sigh.

I had no idea what to say, but I figured I should try to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Popuri," I said hesitantly, cautiously. "That you feel this way, and that everything is so—"

"There you are!" I jumped at the sound of my mother's voice, followed a second later by her hand on my arm. "I was wondering where you wondered off to."

"Um," I said, my eyes darting to Popuri, who quickly composed herself. "Yeah. Here I am."

"Do you mind if I borrow my daughter for a second, Popuri?" My mom beamed at her, not noticing a single thing amiss. Popuri smiled back and nodded, already like herself again—or at least pretending to be.

"I'll talk to you later, okay/" I called to her as my mom tugged me away, awkwardly craning my neck over her shoulder. She nodded, her smile still frozen on her face like it was stuck there. Poor Popuri.

"…haven't been able to talk to you properly since I got here," my mom was saying as she dragged me over to the refreshments table. She handed me a glass and took one for herself. "I hope you had a good summer. We're leaving tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah, I know," I said, bringing the glass to my lips. "It's been great."

"So you and Rick are dating," she said abruptly, causing me to inhale the drink instead of swallow it, which resulted in an embarrassingly long coughing fit.

It wasn't like I thought she didn't know—I was positive that Lillia had said at least _something_—but to hear her say it out loud, and like that…mortifying.

"We're not _dating_," I gasped, once the choking had subsided. "That sounds so…"

"What is it you kids call it these days, then?" she asked innocently. "'Hooking up'?"

"Mom," I pleaded, pressing my free hand to my burning face. "Just…no."

"You can tell me if you have a boyfriend, you know. I didn't raise you to keep secrets."

"I know, I know." And I did know. I felt silly for making it into a big deal, but despite what my mom thought—or hoped for—we didn't share a lot of stuff with each other. Or I didn't, anyway. It would take some getting used to.

"And it's not that much of a shock," she continued. "You two always used to play together, back when I brought you were when you were a kid. It was so cute"

"Ugh," I groaned, wishing for a subject change. "Anyway…" For some reason it bothered me that she saw my relationship as something predictable, inevitable.

"Really though, you made a good choice. Rick's hard-working, reliable…he's stable."

"Sheesh, Mom, it's not like we're getting _married_," I said, more sharply than I'd intended. My mom looked a little shocked by my reaction.

"I didn't say you were, Claire," she answered in a chiding tone. "I only meant that he's a good boy. Better than…"

_My father,_ I wanted to say.

"…Well, that one that keeps looking at you," she concluded, and then tilted her head back to finish off her champagne.

"Huh? Who's looking at me?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The boy who keeps giving you those looks," my mom said, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "You know who I'm talking about."

"No, I don't," I insisted. My heart suddenly picked up a little. "Where is he? What does he look like?"

"I don't see him now," she said, barely glancing around the yard. "He had brown hair, messy," she said, her brow wrinkling in thought. "He's tan."

"Jack?" I asked, my mouth agape.

"I don't know his name! He was wearing a purple tie. And he was looking at you."

No, not Jack. But the realization didn't relax me.

"Wait, do you mean Kai?" I tried to laugh, like it was a joke, because surely it was. "That's…"

"I'm telling you," she said, wagging her finger at me warningly. "You should be careful around him. I've got a feeling."

"Sure, Mom," I said, rolling my eyes, but my nonchalance was forced. I gulped down the rest of my drink.

"Good thing you've got Rick, though, so you don't have to worry about that Kai character," my mom said with a sigh, smiling her approval. "Rick really is a good boy."

"Thanks," I answered, not feeling very grateful.

x x x

Eventually, some time after ten, everyone started to go home. Popuri, Rick, and I walked my mom to the inn, and then the three of us continued on to Chicken Lil's. Lillia had left with Zack to stay at his house.

I trailed behind Popuri and Rick, my brain a box of puzzle pieces from all the wrong puzzles. Nothing fit, no matter how hard I tried.

Because if I got everything right—and I wasn't so sure that I had:

Rick might or might want to get married. Jack still had feelings for Popuri. Popuri still had feelings for Kai, and Kai…

Well, let's just assume my mom was wrong on that one. And really, how could she not be? She'd been here for less than twenty-four hours—hardly enough time to draw any accurate conclusions.

Of course, the other part of me pointed out that maybe it was the other way around, that all it took was less than twenty-four hours for her to notice something like that.

And then, setting aside how everyone else felt—my feelings. What were they, exactly?

I loved Rick. At least, probably. But I'd never loved anyone before, so I didn't know how to go about identifying something like that. Of course, this whole uncertainty might've been brought on by the fact that Rick implied that he wanted to get married. Which I guess shouldn't have sent me into to panic mode, but it did.

And all of that anxiety wasn't helped by the fact that I was both annoyed that Popuri still liked Kai, and slightly thrilled that Kai maybe just maybe might be attracted to me.

This was a mess.

I stayed quiet the whole way to Chicken Lil's, but neither Rick nor Popuri noticed. I kissed Rick before he retired to his bedroom, and then Popuri and I went back to her room. Neither of us brought up the conversation we'd had at the wedding about Kai, and I thought that was for the best.

"I'm gonna miss you," Popuri sighed as we both settled in for the night.

"I'll be back next summer, you know."

"I know, but…" She paused, sighing again. "It sucks only having my best friend for only part of the year."

I grinned at the phrase "best friend" and I felt glad she couldn't see me in the dark. "I know. I hate that too."

We both fell silent then, and I knew Popuri would be out in a matter of seconds, as usual. I felt pretty exhausted myself—all that standing for hours, and then the drama…

It did suck that my stay was coming to an end, but secretly I was just a little relieved that I'd be leaving in the morning, at least for a little while.

x x x


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

My mom went to the end of the dock to wait for the ferry so I could have a few minutes of privacy to say goodbye. Popuri was first, and she hugged me and even cried a little bit, and I wished her luck with Kai, and told her to call me all the time to keep me updated, even though I knew she would.

"So," I said, when it was Rick's turn. I didn't know what to say, actually—we hadn't had much time to talk since the wedding. I wondered if he was upset that I'd left him like that.

"I guess it's back to the long distance thing for now, huh?" he said with a half-smile. "Sucks."

"I was thinking, actually," I said, and suddenly it was like my mouth was moving all on its own, saying all sorts of things I didn't want it to. "Maybe we should slow everything down a little."

"What do you mean?" He was confused, obviously, and a little wary.

"I mean that, you know, well, I'll be graduating high school, and after that, who knows? I don't know where I'll be after next summer. So I don't want either of us to feel obligated or anything." I bit my lips to stop myself from going any further.

I could tell I'd hurt his feelings. "I don't feel obligated about anything, Claire. If this is about what happened after the Fireworks Festival…"

"No, it's not," I answered quickly, although maybe it was, a little bit. "I swear."

"Well, okay," he said, with obvious unease. "But what does that mean, 'slowing everything down'?"

I glanced over my shoulder, and saw the ferry approaching, slowly but steadily. My mom gave a little wave. I didn't have a lot of time left. "Just…let's go day by day, okay?" _Hold off on planning our wedding, and all that._

"Okay," he agreed half-heartedly. He opened his arms to hug me, and I stepped forward, closing my eyes as I did so. It hit me then that I would miss this. No matter how jumbled up I felt about everything else, I knew I would miss Rick. I just needed time to figure things out.

He kissed my head—he didn't even try for the lips, and I wondered if it was because my mom was standing there, or if it was because he was mad at me—and then walked back to join Popuri.

Kai was last. He'd waited at a respectful distance, standing with his hands in his pockets and staring out at the ocean, as if we weren't even there. But as soon as Rick and Popuri began walking away, he immediately started towards me, a big smile on his face.

"Hey," he said, before he'd even reached me. "Last night was pretty hectic, huh? I didn't even get to talk to you."

"Yeah, I know," I replied, unable to keep from smiling myself. "But it was still really fun. And the ceremony was so pretty."

"Yeah." He was still grinning.

"What are you smiling about, jerk?" I scoffed, punching him lightly in the arm. "I'm about to leave for a whole year. Aren't you going to miss me?"

"Of course I'm going to miss you," he said with such ease that it made my stomach jump. "But I have good news."

"What?" I tried not to let my imagination run wild.

"I decided I'm gonna stay here."

_Whoa._ "What? You mean like…"

"All year round."

"But why?" Kai had always complained that Mineral Town felt like winter compared to wherever he came from, that he wouldn't be able to take the actual winter. How would he be able to stand it now?

"Guess I feel like I have some unfinished business here," he said vaguely, scratching his jaw.

I got it then and put on a smug smirk. "Does this unfinished business happen to have recently broken up with her boyfriend?"

He rolled his eyes, and I expected him to deny it, but he surprised me. "All right, fine. You got me. My unfinished business is Popuri."

It took me a few seconds to realize what he'd said. My smirk faltered a little. "Wait, what? Really?"

"Yeah, really," he said, obviously trying to hide his smile but failing. "I guess sometimes you look at a person and it's like you're seeing them for the first time, you know?"

"Yeah," I answered meekly, feeling sort of dazed.

"Anyway," he said, his voice suddenly loud, like he was trying to hide his shyness, "the point is, I at least want to give it a try."

"You better not break her heart," I said, my warning sincere.

"I won't," he promised. Just then the ferry let out its loud blaring horn, signaling its arrival.

"Come on, Claire," my mom shouted from behind me.

"See you next summer, Claire," Kai said, and I waited, waited for him to do something crazy like last year and kiss me, waited so long that I didn't realize he was already walking away from me until I finally blinked.

"Claire," my mom called again, louder this time, and I turned and walked towards her and the boat.

"That was the boy I was talking about," she said to me once I was within earshot. "He was giving you that look again, did you notice? I told you so."

I smiled weakly. I guess she'd been wrong about Kai after all.

"Yeah, Mom," I answered, my voice full of deliberate, fake pep. No point in explaining anything—right now, it felt like I might just crumble if I tried. "He did. I noticed."


End file.
